Peggy Sanchez Mills is taking an 18-month leave from her Tampa Bay YWCA post to lead the national office in Washington.
By HELEN HUNTLEY
Published October 22, 2004
The YWCA USA is turning to Tampa Bay for a leader as the 146-year-old organization forges a new course for the future.
Peggy Sanchez Mills is taking an 18-month leave of absence as chief executive of the YWCA of Tampa Bay to take charge of the nonprofit organization's national office in Washington, D.C. In her absence, YWCA of Tampa Bay vice president Susan Finlaw-Dusseault will become interim chief executive.
National leaders say they are delighted Mills, 51, agreed to take the job of chief executive to help the 2-million member organization through a time of transition.
"She has a lot of deep roots in the YWCA that we feel will help us go forward," said Glenda DuBoise of Topeka, Kan., chairwoman of the national coordinating board. "She loves the organization and she is well respected by her peers."
DuBoise said board members were impressed by Mills' accomplishments in the Tampa Bay area. During her two decades as its chief executive, the YWCA of Tampa Bay has grown from 10 employees to 170 who operate programs in 16 locations in Pinellas County. Its $6.5-million annual budget pays for programs such as a shelter for homeless families, child care, tutoring, parenting help for teens and youth development programs for girls. One of the YWCA's newest efforts is an outreach center for Hispanics in Clearwater.
As a national organization, the YWCA literally has turned itself upside down over the past four years. The group closed its headquarters in New York City, cut its national staff from a high of 150 to 15 and decentralized operations. Most of the work formerly done at the national level is handled through nine new regions, including one covering the Southeast.
The national office's new charge is to focus on creating a brand for the organization, which is widely confused with the YMCA, and to advocate an agenda of social issues through lobbying and public relations. The top two issues, eliminating racism and empowering women, are incorporated in the YWCA's new logo. Other key issues include combating violence against women and improving early childhood education.
Mills also will deal with housekeeping issues such as hiring a staff and completing the launch of an intranet system that links the 300 local associations with the regional and national offices.
The national office's $3.5-million operating budget is funded through an endowment. Members' dues help finance local and regional operations.
"There was a real sense of responsibility to offer my services to get us stabilized and headed in the right direction," Mills said.
The YWCA USA went through a public relations crisis last year when it hired and then six months later fired Patricia Ireland as its executive director.
Ireland, former president of the National Organization for Women, attracted intense criticism from conservative groups. DuBoise and Mills declined to discuss Ireland.
Dorris Daniel-Parkes, a former human resources director for the YWCA, has served as interim director for the past year.
"I think this can be the premier women's organization," Mills said. "If we keep moving forward, we'll get there. I have a sense of responsibility and also a sense of excitement about being part of this."
Mills has an 18-month contract with options for renewal. She declined to reveal her salary.
Mills said she is confident the YWCA of Tampa Bay will be well managed in her absence.
"Many of our managers have been here 15 to 20 years," she said.
Mills starts her new position Nov. 8. She said she and her husband, Jim, executive director of the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County, will maintain two homes and commute between Washington and Pinellas County.
Mills has two adult children and a 14-year-old granddaughter.
