YW Leadership

Jennifer M. Ware was chosen to lead YW in March 2009. Jennifer has drawn on her fundraising and brand expertise to develop a strategic direction that will increase YW’s impact on women, families, and the community. Jennifer brings more than 20 years of nonprofit management experience, including a decade of executive leadership at two large Dallas nonprofits. Jennifer most recently served as Chief Development Officer for Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas, an agency serving 42,000 girls across 32 north Texas counties. She has also worked with organizations such as the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center and Baylor Health Care System Foundation. Jennifer is a member of Dallas Assembly and a graduate of Leadership Texas, Leadership Plano Class 22 and holds a BA in Psychology from Austin College.

Susan Smithson brings more than 19 years of experience in program development and administration to YW. She has worked in public, for-profit, and nonprofit sectors and has held multiple leadership positions for agencies serving the needs of individuals and families. Susan is committed to decreasing economic and health disparities in the community, and represents YW on numerous community initiatives. Her passion has led her to serve on the Advisory Board of the Center for Community Health, the Board of RAISE Texas and the Information and Education Planning Committee for Parkland Health and Hospital System. Susan previously served as Director of Mental Retardation Services for the Denton County MHMR Center and holds a BA in Psychology from Texas Woman’s University.

Patricia Gregory joined the YW staff in April 2010 as Director of Development and has over 10 years of experience working in nonprofits in north Texas as well as northwest Louisiana. Most recently, Patricia served as the Grants and Operations Coordinator for Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas, an agency serving over 42,000 girls in 32 counties. Before Girl Scouts, Patricia served as the Development Associate for the Arts of Collin County Foundation, where she helped run the “silent phase” of a multimillion-dollar capital campaign. Patricia holds a BA in English from Louisiana State University in Shreveport.

Lori Hudson joined the YW staff as the Volunteer Coordinator in 2008, and was promoted to Volunteer Manager in 2011. She brings 14 years of experience building and leading teams of volunteers and she has more than 35 years experience personally serving as a volunteer in various capacities: area schools, churches, boards and community groups. Lori is passionate about offering volunteers meaningful opportunities to use their strengths and talents to empower women. Lori serves as the Vice President of the Dallas Association of Directors of Volunteers and she is a speaker and trainer on the topic of volunteer management to churches and nonprofits in the Dallas area.