Adrian Bracy, the new CEO of YWCA Metro St. Louis, is clear why she returned to the Gateway City to accept this position: “It has potential.”
“I call this home now, which I never would have thought would be the case back in 1995,” Bracy said.
“There is a close-knit atmosphere in St. Louis. It’s like a small town with a big feel for me.”
The Florida native first moved to St. Louis as vice president of finance for the St. Louis Rams. In 2007, she left St. Louis to work for the Cardinals football franchise in Phoenix, Arizona, where she was chief financial officer.
After nearly two decades of senior finance management for NFL teams (previously including the Miami Dolphins), Bracy returned to town with a new mission.
Or, rather, a new set of missions, which include racial justice, fighting homelessness and empowering women to gain their voice through YWCA programs and services.
“The programs that we have currently are very, very important – we want to get that out to the community,” she said. “We don’t want to be a secret.”
Bracy is part of an impressive African-American leadership team at the YWCA nationally and locally, which includes the national president Dr. Lorraine Cole, the St. Louis executive communications director Pam Bolden and the local chief financial officer, Latriece Kimbrough.
“Locally the leadership is here, so we are making strides,” Bracy said.
Strides certainly, but she is hopeful for greater leadership from African Americans and women in all endeavors.
“When I look at the new generation, they are very aggressive, creative,” Bracy said, “and so I have hopes that the next generation will hopefully make a larger impact in leadership positions.”
Making their own strides, the YWCA Metro St. Louis hired a social justice director, Amy Hunter, to help fight the battle against racial injustice in the community.
“We have monthly lectures on racism, and she is out in the community,” Bracy said. “We take that very seriously.”
The monthly lectures, which are free and open to the public, take place at the Phyllis Wheatley Heritage Center located in midtown St. Louis at 2711 Locust St.
This joins better-known programs, such as YWCA Head Start. In St. Louis, it provides 2,650 preschoolers with educational and social skills to prepare for success in kindergarten and elementary school.
The YWCA also has a transitional housing program to move women from homelessness to stability. The women are referred by other agencies and can stay in the residential facility for up to two years.
“And they leave here ready to be back in the community and able to support themselves and or their families,” said Pamela Bolden, senior communications executive for YWCA Metro St. Louis.
The agency’s economic program is designed to help women get trained for non-traditional jobs that will provide wages to help sustain themselves and their families.
“One of the women, she just graduated with her certificate in auto mechanics, and she is the only female,” Bracy said.
“A lot of places wanted to make her a secretary or a receptionist,” Bolden added.
The St. Louis YWCA is located on 3820 W. Pine in midtown St. Louis. For more information about YWCA programs and service, go to www.ywcastlouis.org, email info@ywcastlouis.org or 314-531-1115.
