Erika Mann’s new vision and new attitude for The Dryades YMCA
5th July 2023 · 0 Comments
By C.C. Campbell-Rock
Contributing Writer
“As the leader, I want to give power to staff and the community to reimagine the YMCA’s potential. When power is placed with them, the return on investment is organizational growth and commitment to the vision of this mainstay institution,” said Erika Mann, the new CEO of the Dryades YMCA.
Led by Bishop Tom Watson, the new chairman of the board, a newly installed Board of Directors named Mann its CEO in May, making her the first woman to lead the Dryades Street Young Men’s Christian Association, a 118-year-old organization.
“It was a no-brainer to name Erika as the CEO, she has a wealth of experience with turnaround management, and she has demonstrated it by what she was able to accomplish in her short tenure steering the school to stability,” says Bishop Watson concerning Mann’s role as Head of School for the James Singleton Charter School. Mann also worked in Jefferson Parish schools.
Despite Mann’s turnaround effort, the school’s parent governing board could not overcome fiscal management challenges. However, the closure of the charter school offered an opportunity to reorganize, rejuvenate, and expand Dryades Y’s outreach under a new board and CEO.
As interim CEO, Mann began to forge a new direction and fresh attitude about serving the community writ large. She upgraded the Dryades Y’s facilities, enhanced the early childhood curriculum, and supported the professional development of the entire staff.
Mann also developed a partnership with the City of New Orleans’ Office of Workforce Development-JOBS 1 Program. The program will be based at the Dryades Y’s Myrtle Banks Building at 1307 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd in New Orleans.
Sunae Villavaso, director of the Office of Workforce Development, says she is happy to see a female leading the non-profit, and she looks forward to becoming a training provider based in Central City. “The organization has existing infrastructure and community reach to meet this need,” Villavaso says.
Mann’s heightened sensitivity regarding issues affecting women and families is evident in the Dryades Y’s hosting the M.O.M.S. Tour.
The Maternal Outcomes Matter Shower (M.O.M.S) national tour focuses on reducing high maternal mortality and morbidity rates in the U.S., especially among Black and American Indian/Alaska Native moms.
According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), Black women are three times and AI/AN women are two times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than White women, and over 80 percent of those deaths are preventable. The M.O.M.S. Tour serves those at greatest risk: Black and AI/ AN moms in urban and rural communities.
The Dryades Y invited mothers, fathers and children to the “M.O.M.S,” which included a Mom’s Lounge, Dad’s Den, and Kids Corner. The organization’s wellness, early childhood, youth sports, teen leadership, aquatics and healthy living programs will continue under Mann’s leadership.
Her priorities include returning the agency “back to the community and service area and putting the “C” back in the “Y” by instilling Christian values in the organization’s overall mission.
Mann’s vision includes expanding services. “It doesn’t matter where you live,” Mann attests. She is partnering with the YMCA in Belle Chasse for literacy classes and working with organizations in Jefferson Parish.
The Dryades Y is now busing seniors from Central City, Hollygrove, eastern New Orleans, and the Ninth Ward for services. “They can choose water aerobics or chair aerobics, participate in social activities like ‘Sit & Paint,’” Mann adds, and get literacy lessons and health information.
The educator has reached out to her Zeta Phi Beta sorors to volunteer to paint seniors’ fingernails and recruit college students to volunteer for conversations with the seniors as a way of fostering multi-generational conversations and bonding.
Mann is bringing a bold new vision to the organization, which includes people of all genders, ages, and ethnic backgrounds with a particular emphasis on serving male youth.
This article originally published in the July 3, 2023 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
