Staff Profiles

WaTasha Barnes Griffin is the YWCA’s Chief Executive Officer. She has been with the YWCA since 2015.

As CEO, Barnes Griffin is responsible for being the advocate for the organization – out in the community talking about the YWCA’s work and being at any table where the issues of women and girls, and their economic empowerment and advancement, are being discussed.

Barnes Griffin said all her community work in recent years has been related to issues that impact women.

“The mission of the YWCA is to eliminate racism and empower women,” she said. “Both of those things are closely aligned with my personal mission, as well. For me, intentionality is important. Anything that I am involved with has to involve women, education or the advancement of women in their lives. ”

Barnes Griffin said her dream for the future of the YWCA is for it to continue to fulfill its mission – being a valuable resource for the community as it has been since 1911.

“We want to make sure our organization, and what we do, continues to serve and to lift and support women and children for another 100-plus years,” she said.

Terry Roberts is the YWCA’s Operations Manager. She is in her eighth year at the YWCA.

As Operations Manager, Roberts helps with the day-to-day work flow of the organization. She keeps everything flowing and updates the Y’s CEO. She also does all the data entry for deposits, schedules the front desk staff and logs the names for donations provided to the YWCA.

Roberts said she enjoys the moments she is able to work at the front desk. It gets her out of her office and she can visit more easily with residents.

“It really tugs at your heartstrings. It’s just a really good feeling to know that you’re helping someone,” she said. “It could be any day that that could be me or one of my loved ones walking through that door to use the shelter. It’s great to know there is a place you can go to for help.”

Her dream for the future of the YWCA – for the organization to not struggle financially, and to not have the challenges it has of operating an old building with many maintenance and repair issues.

Kait Williams is the YWCA’s Program Director. She began at the YWCA as an intern in the summer of 2016 and then served as case manager before taking her current position.

As Program Director, Williams oversees the YWCA’s residential department and coordinates the programming for YWCA residents.

Programs offered by the YWCA cover a wide variety of topics including financial literacy, professional development, informational programming from the Muncie Housing authority, tobacco awareness/cessation, and Essential Discovery – providing some training in life skills, such as time management and relationship building.

Her dream for the future of the YWCA – having enough money to more easily sustain programs and be able to offer even more programming for residents.

Williams said her favorite part of her job is serving the women who live at the YWCA’s emergency shelter.

“We all switch out working the front desk. There’s always time to see the residents and get to know them. Every job in the building is helping them in some way or another,” she said. “I think that’s what I love about it most – that feeling and sense of accomplishment and knowing that you’re helping others.”

Dionna Venable is the YWCA’s Volunteer Coordinator. She has worked at the YWCA since early 2019, first serving as a front desk receptionist before taking on her current duties.

As volunteer coordinator, Venable takes in all of the donations; maintains the YWCA’s Clothing Boutique, a spot where shelter residents can shop; sorts and separates items for the Y’s Linen Closet, which stocks personal hygiene items such as towels, shampoo and toothpaste; and reaches out to recruit community volunteers.

“There is always so much to be done here,” Venable said of the need for volunteers. “Sometimes there aren’t enough hands for the donations that come in. Muncie is very generous with donations, and sometimes it’s hard to keep up with those.”

Venable, who was a stay-at-home mom before taking the YWCA job, said she enjoys the opportunity to challenge herself with different tasks to do each day.

Her dream for the YWCA – to be in a building that is easier to maintain.

“A building that makes things more manageable would be great,” she said. “Then we can serve women at an even higher level.”

Joanna Kearney is the YWCA’s Residential Case Manager. She has worked at the YWCA since January 2019.

As Case Manager, Kearney handles the majority of residential interactions, working to determine how the shelter can best serve each resident and connect them with what services they need within the YWCA and in the community.  She meets weekly with each individual resident.

Kearney said she likes to see the shelter residents making progress and having successes, but often the small moments, one-on-one with a resident, mean the most.

“I think it’s the little moments when you’re not expecting there to be a reaction… I scrounged up some boots for a woman, and she cried and hugged me,” Kearney said. “I had another woman cry because her coat smelled like laundry detergent. She was so happy someone had washed it for her.”

Kearney’s dream for the future of the YWCA – continuing on its current track to be a stable provider of services in the community, and serving each woman who comes to the YWCA holistically and with dignity.

Leonard Tucker is the YWCA’s Facility Director. He has worked at the YWCA since 2004.

Tucker performs a variety of tasks, from making repairs, to cleaning, to covering the front desk. It’s a job he loves because it is different every day.

“I love the mechanical issues and the challenge of it – figuring out what the problem is and solving a problem,” Tucker said.

But the impact the YWCA has on individual lives is what Tucker feels most proud of.

“There are so many stories that come in and out of this building,” he said.  “Some of them are very touching. You learn that just because you’re homeless doesn’t mean you’re not human. I think a lot of people, when they think of someone homeless, they don’t think of maybe a school teacher who went through a divorce and is down on her luck. They don’t think of a factory worker who lost their job and has three children to support and no husband. It’s every-day people we help.”