YWCA Asheville Names Diana Sierra as New CEO
YWCA of Asheville and WNC is excited to announce the appointment of Diana Sierra as New CEO.
April 30, 2021, Asheville, NC – YWCA of Asheville and WNC is excited to announce the appointment of Diana Sierra as CEO. “In the short time that Sierra has served as Interim CEO, she has made great strides in supporting our programs, staff, and community partners. You can tell she is a veteran of not just the YWCA but of our community,” says Jesica Hooper, Chair of the Board of Directors. After an in-depth review process that included a broad cross-section of staff, Board of Directors, key community partners, and members of our extended YWCA community it became clear that Sierra was the ideal choice to lead the organization into the future.
For Sierra, the YWCA’s mission of eliminating racism and empowering women aligns directly with her life’s work and passion as a social worker, as a Latina, and as the first generation in her family to be born in the US. “I find strength when I think of my grandmother and the sacrifices she made for her family,” says Sierra, “having seen my own family and childhood community struggle to overcome hardships, I know how valuable opportunities are, especially for women and women of color. The YWCA and the powerhouse team here inspire me to continue the work that creates opportunities for our community.”
Sierra most recently served as the head of Buncombe County’s Family Justice Center (FJC) and has almost six years of experience working within Buncombe County government including Child Protective Services. While leading the FJC, a multi-disciplinary service center, Sierra oversaw community partnerships, including the longtime partnership with the YWCA. Through this role and her continued support as a donor, Sierra has never truly left the YWCA. Before her work with the County, Sierra was YWCA’s Director of Women’s Empowerment and as recently as 2018 was the facilitator for the YWCA’s Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin’-by World women’s empowerment program.Sierra has a Bachelor’s in Social Work from James Madison University, a Master’s in Social Work from Hunter College, and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Please join us in congratulating Diana Sierra and welcoming her as our new CEO.