YWCA Southern Arizona CEO Kelly Fryer is stepping down after six years with the organization dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.
Fryer, who will leave the organization at the end of June, says she continues to have an eye on the Governor’s Office, a post she unsuccessfully pursued last fall, though she shied away from making an official declaration to run for any office on Friday.
She did, however, make a commitment to continue promoting the YWCA’s values in the political arena.
“Being at the YW has really been one of the highlights of my career,” she said. “Being able to be a part of a mission like the YWCA’s and part of this organization that has this long legacy of social justice and racial justice and gender equity has been such an honor, but it has also really inspired me to step out into an even more public position and to really get engaged in public service, community service, at an even larger level.”
Fryer was a latecomer to the governor’s race last year, running on a platform of equity, inclusion and justice for all, putting human rights and the needs of people at the forefront.
The effort ended in the primary election with Fryer earning over 86,000 votes despite having little time to campaign, a fraction of the fundraising network of her opponent and little name recognition.
The run for governor, Fryer says, helped her learn in a deeper way about the challenges people across the state face and allowed her to meet people who have solutions and are ready to move Arizona in a better direction.
“I have a vision,” Fryer says. “I’ve got the leadership experience, and now I have the experience of running a statewide campaign that I think surprised a lot of people. I’m looking at that as a next step, but I have a couple of things to do between now and then first.”
Under Fryer’s leadership, the YWCA reached record growth, said Sonia Valencia Economou, president of the organization’s board of directors.
Since 2013 when Fryer came on board, the YWCA has seen program expansions of its bilingual workforce readiness education, leadership development and small-business training programs, which now serve 2,000 people annually, Valencia Economou said in a statement to stakeholders.
It also launched a Women’s Impact Fund, which is used to invest in businesses and programs that drive equitable, culturally-rooted economic development.
The need for direct services that focused on helping women get jobs, start businesses and achieve economic self-sufficiency was great when Fryer came on board following the recession. That focus, however, has expanded to advocacy work that promotes policies and laws and systems that remove barriers to financial success for women on a greater scale, Fryer said.
However, there are challenge ahead, Fryer said, including competing with other nonprofits for limited resources. She is working with funders and donors to encourage them to maintain and increase their commitment to the work of the YWCA.
Also a challenge is the political, social and cultural polarization that exists across classes, race and religion and even within marginalized communities, she said.
“The YWCA’s mission is so intersectional that it begins with eliminating racism and empowering women and ends with promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all,” she said. “I hope the next CEO can create a space in our community where people can come together and build relationships and have important conversations across those differences.”
What’s ahead for YWCA Southern Arizona, including information about the search process, timeline and opportunities for stakeholder input, will be revealed in the coming weeks, Valencia Economou said.
“Kelly has consistently been a bold and powerful voice for women and members of marginalized communities in Southern Arizona,” Valencia Economou said. “We are excited to see where her path takes her next.”
