WHITE LEADERS: A RACIAL EQUITY CONVERSATION
The roles & responsibilities of whites to dismantle racism
Introducing our panelists will be YWCA Greater Charleston Executive Director LaVanda Brown.
SUZANNE PLIHCIK | Co-founder, Racial Equity Institute Suzanne Plihcik is not only the co-founder and associate director of the Racial Equity Institute (REI), she's one of its trainers and organizers. She works locally and across the nation to help communities and organizations strengthen grassroots and institutional relationships through a more complete understanding of systemic racism. Suzanne has a long history in anti-racism training, having previously worked with Dismantling Racism and the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond. She has also served as executive director of the National Alliance for Non-Violent Programming, a coalition of national organizations seeking to reduce violence in entertainment through media literacy. Her community experience includes extensive work organizing for change in public schools and city governments, as well as serving on the Commission on the Needs of Children. She is a founding member of the Greensboro Public School Fund, rewarding innovation in teaching, and Dance on Tour, a professional dance experience for children. She has served on the national boards of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the National Assembly of Health and Human Service Organizations, and the Association of Junior Leagues International, where she served as president. Suzanne has been honored with the Kathleen Price Bryan Award for community service and the YWCA Women of Color Committee Community Service Award, and was named the Greensboro Woman of the Year in 1994. She is the co-recipient of the Nancy Susan Reynolds Award for race relations and received the Mary Harriman Award for Community Leadership from the Association of Junior Leagues International. She currently resides in Greensboro, NC, where she has served on multiple boards, including the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, the Greensboro Children’s Museum, the Greensboro Community Initiative, YWCA Greensboro, the Greensboro Civic Entrepreneur Initiative, and Uplift Inc. MADELEINE MCGEE | President and CEO, Together SC Madeleine McGee has served South Carolina’s nonprofit community for more than 30 years. She has led new organizations and programs, including the downtown revitalization program in Georgetown, SC, and established nonprofits, including the Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina, which she led for 10 years. A fierce believer in the power of collaborative partnerships and a committed community advocate, Madeleine has also provided consulting services and work for local and state governments. Since her appointment as president of Together SC in 2011, Madeleine has helped build South Carolina’s network of “Allies for Good” to effectively serve more than 800 member organizations across the state’s entire nonprofit sector. Fueled by her lifelong passion for the work of South Carolina’s nonprofit community, she works closely with Together SC’s board of directors to provide services that strengthen the sector and the communities they serve. In 2019, Together SC was the recipient of the Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Vision Award, presented during that year's Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration, and in 2020, Madeleine was a 2020 recipient of the McNulty Foundation’s Global Response Fund to support #COVID19 response efforts serving vulnerable communities. Madeleine earned her bachelor’s degree and MBA from the University of Virginia. In her spare time, she has helped build Habitat for Humanity houses and is a Big Sister with the Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring program. Madeleine is a native Charlestonian, a South Carolina Liberty Fellow, and has also served on the Town Council for Sullivan’s Island, where she resides with her husband, Bunky Wichmann, three amazing children, and two Boykin Spaniels. |
OUR PANELISTS |
We need YOU
Be part of the international movement for women, girls, and people of color... right here in the Charleston, SC region.
Choose the program you want to support |
Volunteer or become a member
|
Sign up for YWCA.GC news |