Executive Staff
Rickell Howard Smith
PRESIDENT & CEO
Rickell Howard Smith is a civil rights attorney with experience as a nonprofit executive director in racial justice advocacy serving the Greater Cincinnati region. She began her career in Cincinnati in 2006 as an attorney at Legal Aid Society of Southwest Ohio, rising to a number of prominent leadership roles serving women and children in the community.
Most recently, Rickell has served as the Founding Executive Director of the Center for Social Justice at Urban League of Southwest Ohio. She also has served in leadership positions at the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, Children’s Law Center, Inc. in Covington and the Ohio Justice & Policy Center.
Smith is also active in the community serving as the Past Board Chair of Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio, Advisory Board Member for All-In Cincinnati Racial Equity Coalition and a Member of the Hamilton County Economic Inclusion Advisory Council and the Cincinnati City Manager’s Advisory Group on Policing.
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Juwana Glover
CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER
Juwana is an accomplished leader in social service with 20 years of experience, including 7 years supporting domestic violence survivors. She is dedicated to program development, community advocacy and equitable practices.
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Rene Cheatham
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Rene possesses extensive finance leadership experience in a variety of industries, including nonprofit, corporate, and government sectors. He provides tactical long-term financial planning to support our programs and services.
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Alex Kuhns
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Alex brings a breadth of leadership experience in the areas of education and nonprofit management. He oversees general operations, including facilities, IT, HR and collaborates with the team to manage our real estate portfolio.
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Kat Steiner
CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
Kat is a Certified Fund Raising Executive with more than 20 years of experience leading fundraising campaigns for nonprofits and in higher education. She is a nonprofit executive and strategic visionary with an extensive track record.
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Yvette Johnson-Hegge
DIRECTOR OF EXECUTIVE SERVICES
Yvette provides administrative leadership and has supported the YWCA for over 17 years. She collaborates with our team and our Board of Directors on project management, communications and event planning.
Board of Directors
The primary role of YWCA Greater Cincinnati’s Board of Directors is to provide mission-driven, visionary leadership and strategic governance to promote and support the services and programs that directly impact our community.
2023 – 2024 Officers
Anne Mulder, Board Chair - Human Resources Professional
Jamila Watson, Vice Chair - Insights & Design Research Advisor, Fedex
Diane Jordan, Immediate Past Chair - President/CEO, Thembi Speaks LLC
Rebecca Arbona, Communications Chair - President and Chief Truth Teller, Brand True
Dave Palm, Development Chair - SVP Operations, 84.51°
Steve Kenat, Facilities Chair - Principal, Director Community Development, SHP
Sarah Haines, Finance Chair and Treasurer - Chief Accounting Officer, Paycor
Paaras Parker, Governance Chair -Chief Human Resources Officer, Paycor
Sophie Lake, Program Evaluation Chair - Owner, Sophie Lake Strategic Purchasing Consulting
Directors
Deepika Andavarapu - CEO/Founder, DEEP Consultants
Julie Courtney - Founding Partner, Madison Design
Brandi Elliot - Executive Director, Identity and Inclusion, University of Cincinnati, Student Affairs
Carmen Gaines - CEO & Founder, Latitude Workbased Learning Solutions LLC
Sheri Harper - Human Resources Executive, Tire Discounters
Michele Hawkins - Managing Director, Chief Compliance Officer, Ft. Washington Investment Advisors, Inc.
Megan Hube - Government Relations Professional
Rhonda Whitaker Hurtt - Vice President, Community Relations Econ Development, Duke Energy
Heather Kesner - Executive Vice President, Branch and Small Business Regional Executive, U.S. Bank
Aswad Mack - Warehouse Innovation, Sr. Manager – North American Product Supply Market Operations, Procter & Gamble
Anitra Marsh - Associate Director, Brand Communications, Procter & Gamble Skin and Personal Care
Carolyn Pione Micheli - Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications & Investor Relations, E.W. Scripps Co.
Aaron Parker - Senior Director, Human Resource Business Partners, The Hillman Group
Jackie Reau - Founder/CEO, GameDay Communications
Pam Weber - Senior Vice President, PNC Bank
Craig Young - Founder/Executive Director, Inspiring Service