Our Leaders
Systems change does not come easily, but YWCA Kalamazoo continues to fight for the rights of individuals and strengthen our community every day. Our leaders guide and amplify our collective action. Together, we can have the greatest impact possible within our community and beyond.
Susan Rosas, CEO
Following a global career in systems change and service, Susan Rosas (she/her) joined YWCA Kalamazoo as our CEO in January 2024. Susan brings to us proven expertise in strategic growth, high quality programming, and trauma-responsive leadership. Her unwavering commitment to equity sparks fearless innovation. Bold problems require bold interventions.
Susan is originally from Michigan, though her career has led her to work in a variety of systems worldwide. In Cambodia, Susan led systems change efforts through government demonstration projects, resulting in the country’s first steps toward prioritizing family-based care over harmful orphanages. Through a Texas-based global nonprofit, Susan led what grew to be the U.S.’s largest national home visiting program for unaccompanied children and families. She then founded the ORR National Call Center and Sexual Abuse Hotline (the U.S.’s bilingual crisis and support line for unaccompanied children and their families), and Common Thread, which under her leadership became Texas’s largest domestic anti-trafficking program for youth and young adult survivors of commercial sexual exploitation.
Susan spent several years working on strategic growth, needs assessment, program design, evaluation, and funding capture, successfully securing $147 million in support of programs for women and children exposed to violence and immigrant families. She returned to Michigan in 2021 and served in the child welfare and homelessness sectors as the CEO of a statewide nonprofit. There, Susan right-sized an organization struggling after the pandemic by rebuilding critical infrastructure, stabilizing a trauma-impacted workforce, and securing $8 million – advancing the organization from financial crisis to health in a year. Susan joined YWCA Kalamazoo in her fierce and lifelong pursuit of social justice, energized to propel forward our mission to eliminate racism and empower women.
Susan lives with her supportive, dynamic partner and two young children. She is committed to upholding a space where caregivers and families thrive in and out of the workplace. A social worker by training, Susan holds a Master’s degree in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago, a Bachelor’s in Psychology from the University of Miami, and a variety of clinical and administrative certifications. Her training and experience have all been intentional – her family’s heritage, immigration story, and her own lived experience keep her laser-focused on the philosophy that drives her: “Every single one of us deserves loving, safe relationships within equitable, just communities.” Susan seeks to represent YWCA Kalamazoo with the empathy, equity values, and pursuit of excellence that have fueled her career.
