Hamilton YWCA CEO Denise Christopherson announces retirement

For Denise Christopherson, the only plans right now are to travel and relax. Nothing else beyond that.

At the end of December, Christopherson will start the next chapter of her life after officially announcing she'd be retiring from her long-held leadership role at YWCA Hamilton.

Going forward, the new CEO of the 130-year-old organization will be Medora Uppal.

Over the decade-plus that Christopherson headed the organization, YWCA Hamilton saw significant growth and positive changes. A few of those prominent developments included employment and training for women and gender-diverse individuals, child care, overnight shelter at Carole Anne's Place, and a safe use space for harm reduction.

When I took on the position in 2010," Christopherson said, my promise to the board of directors was that I would do everything I could to grow. The programs and services at YWCA Hamilton have tripled budgets since that time."

Of all the work that she did during her 12-year-long tenure, Christopherson said the most memorable project was building the 50-unit Putman Family YWCA affordable housing for women-led families in crises.

When I think of people that have been impacted by our programs and services - there are too many for me to name them all - but each of them has touched me along the way over these years," Christopherson said.

Now as the baton gets passed to Uppal, Christopherson believes the organization is well placed to continue growing its impact in the community."

Uppal, who has worked in social services for 25 years, said she sees the need for the work the YWCA Hamilton does in the community and it's a motivation for me to keep doing the work and work harder."

There's a lot of heartbreak in the work ... sometimes that heartbreak also makes us angry," said Uppal, who is currently wrapping up her work as the organization's director of operations. But there's also a great deal of beauty and resiliency that we get to witness every day."

After assuming her new role, Uppal will be working with community stakeholders to build strategies that would help them focus on a clear vision for the next three years," including advancing women in non-traditional occupations and child-care strategies.

The organization is looking forward to expanding its existing programs and bringing new ones on board.

There's still a need for affordable housing," Uppal said. We are looking at opportunities to continue to build affordable housing, and look at other housing models."

Walk a Mile in Their Shoes, an in-person event on Sept. 14, will be the last signature fundraiser that Christopherson will be attending as YWCA Hamilton's CEO. The event will be held in the Hamilton City Hall forecourt.

Ritika Dubey is a reporter at The Spectator. rdubey@thespec.com