The Women Against Abuse Board of Directors was pleased to select Joanna Otero-Cruz to take the helm as the organization’s new Executive Director and President! Joanna began on November 8th, and brings a rich history of serving children, families and survivors of intimate partner violence. She is also a seasoned nonprofit leader with deep roots in the Philadelphia area! We can't wait for you to meet Joanna, and we hope you enjoy this brief Q&A as a way to begin to get to know our new leader.
What are you most excited about when it comes to leading
Women Against Abuse?
As a woman, mother, wife, daughter, Latina, and domestic violence survivor, I believe there is NO room for violence. Women Against Abuse’s mission truly speaks to my core values, and I am extremely humbled and passionate to lead an organization that is committed to eradicating intimate partner violence.
What are your key goals for the first 100 days?
To have a preset organizational plan for my first 100 days is unrealistic; however, I am committed to developing it as I get to know the needs of clients and staff, our culture, challenges and priorities.
Listen and learn: Listening and learning is critical during my first 100 days! Creating as many opportunities to meet, build rapport and establish immediate connections with employees, clients, and funders is a priority. Women Against Abuse is a strong and remarkable organization, and I want to learn from the content experts – the staff and stakeholders.
Connect, establish trust and - given this “post COVID” environment - ensure an open “virtual door”: Transparency is important; therefore, it is key for me to establish methods for staff and stakeholders to consistently have a good level of visibility into where the organization is thriving, as well as areas that require improvement. It’s equally important that staff have the confidence to voice their opinions.
Assess and analyze: As a leader, I have learned the true meaning of “slow down to speed up.” I am not here to change everything and/or dismantle programs. Women Against Abuse does exceptional work! During my first 100 days, I will assess our current state of business and take time to analyze opportunities to continue to enhance and elevate our mission.
While I have a lot to learn about the intricate details of Women Against Abuse’s daily operations, I do know the staff and board have done an amazing job during this transition, and I will work hard to get up to speed. My hope is not to overburden staff with my self-learning, but rather integrate myself into the cadence of
Women Against Abuse and its operations.
How do you plan to leverage your rich experience to strengthen the organization and benefit clients and staff?
I have over twenty years of nonprofit management experience, as well as lived experience, which contribute to both my leadership and work ethic. I am committed to drawing from my professional and personal strengths to learn, assess, collaborate, build relationships, support, and elevate the work here at Women Against Abuse. I am also a believer in strength-based management, which means I recognize the importance and power of leveraging strengths in the workplace.
What sort of impact do you hope to make on the Philadelphia community?
In short, I intend to increase safety, open access, build awareness, and advocate for responsive public policies that help individuals experiencing domestic or intimate partner violence.
