Our Leadership

Interim Chief Executive Officer

Ruth T. Jones Nichols, Ph.D. is the Interim CEO of YWCA USA and is a nationally recognized nonprofit executive and social impact leader with more than 30 years of experience advancing equity, opportunity, and community transformation. Her connection to the YWCA movement is both personal and professional. As a child, she and her family found refuge in a YWCA shelter, an experience that shaped her lifelong commitment to empowering women and strengthening families. She later served as Executive Director of YWCA South Hampton Roads, where she expanded housing and early childhood education opportunities while strengthening the organization's sustainability and community impact. Most recently, she served as Executive Vice President of Local and National Programs at Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), overseeing a nationwide portfolio of local offices and initiatives.

Throughout her career, Dr. Jones Nichols has led complex nonprofit and public-sector organizations, including senior leadership roles at LISC, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Feeding America, and the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore.