President and CEO Dorri McWhorter champions women’s equity across industries

For Dorri McWhorter, the first Black person and first woman to lead the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago as President and CEO, empowering others is a longstanding passion.

As we observe Women’s History Month throughout March and International Women’s Day on March 8, McWhorter looks forward to sharing her vision—for the Y, for women everywhere, and for society as a whole—with women leaders across communities and sectors.

On International Women’s Day, McWhorter will speak on gender equity, breaking glass ceilings, and overcoming gender bias to future business leaders in a keynote address at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, as well as during a panel discussion for the Institute of Internal Auditors.

Meanwhile, at a United Way of Metro Chicago event titled “Purposeful Transitions: Leveraging Personal Growth for Community Impact” on March 10, McWhorter will share her story about how life’s changes and challenges inspired her to transition from the private to the nonprofit sector.

McWhorter will also be lending her voice to empower women in emerging fields, serving as the keynote speaker for “The Green Evolution—Cultivating Strength Through Industry Change and Challenges,” the Illinois Women in Cannabis’s Annual Conference. 

To close out Women’s History Month, Chicago Innovation will honor McWhorter’s contributions as a groundbreaking leader in the social enterprise space during their inaugural Celebrating Women in Innovation Awards. Alongside fellow awardees in tech, social services, marketing, and business, McWhorter will speak on an intimate panel about championing diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

“I love humanity, and as long as we are surrounded by other good people, I believe anything is possible,” McWhorter said in a recent article by Chicago Star Media highlighting the city’s dynamic women leaders.

By bringing her voice, perspectives, and lived experiences to these conversations, McWhorter isn’t just celebrating women’s history—she’s catalyzing women’s history by paving the way for changemakers present and future to make their mark on the world, too.