First two men elected to Board of Directors in YW Boston’s nearly 150 year history

Boston, MA, May 15, 2014 —YWCA Boston is pleased to announce the addition of five new board members in 2014: Dr. Judy Beal, Simmons College; Patricia Washington, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (retired); Constance Wright, Charles River CFO; Robert Rivers, Eastern Bank; and Ivor Cary Armistead III, Ropes & Gray LLP (retired). Mr. Rivers and Mr. Armistead are the first men to join the YW Boston Board of Directors in the organization’s nearly 150 year history.

“These five individuals are passionately committed to YW Boston’s efforts to increase racial, gender, and social equity in Boston,” said Sylvia Ferrell-Jones, President and CEO of YW Boston. “The election of Bob Rivers and Cary Armistead to the Board of Directors represents our continued dedication to inclusion and diversity of perspective.”

The new board members bring a range of expertise and leadership experience to YW Boston:

Dr. Judy Beal is Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences at Simmons College. She also serves as Vice President of the Massachusetts Association of Colleges of Nursing and on the editorial boards of two major academic nursing journals.
Dr. Beal has been a leader in nursing education since 1978 and is widely published with more than 85 peer reviewed articles.

Patricia Washington recently retired as Corporate Information Security Officer and Vice President of Audit and Risk Management Services for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA). Ms. Washington led the BCBSMA Finance Development Program for fourteen years and was a member of the organization’s Diversity and Inclusion Council.

Constance Wright is co-founder of Charles River CFO, a women-owned firm providing strategic finance and accounting services. Ms. Wright is also audit committee chair on the boards of the Center for Women and Enterprise and the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation. She recently helped launch a Leadership and Mentoring Program at Stanford University.

Robert Rivers is President and Chief Operating Officer of Eastern Bank, the largest independent bank headquartered in Massachusetts. Mr. Rivers also serves as chairman of the South Shore Chamber of Commerce and as a board member of the Dimock Center, the Lowell Plan, South Shore Hospital Foundation, South Shore YMCA, and the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation.

Ivor Cary Armistead III is a Retired Partner and Of Counsel at Ropes & Gray LLP.
Mr. Armistead has extensive experience advising domestic and multinational businesses on antitrust law and issues arising from acquisitions, mergers, and investments. He began his career as a Trial Attorney with the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice.

  Dr. Judy Beal

  Patricia Washington  

   Constance Wright

  Robert Rivers

  Ivor Cary Armistead III

With the election of these five members, the Board of Directors now includes a dynamic group of 19 professionals, all of whom support the mission of YW Boston through philanthropy, advocacy and governance. Please click here to view a full list of YW Boston board members.

About YW Boston
YW Boston, America’s first YWCA, is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.  The 148 year-old institution is increasing social, racial, and gender equity by working to improve access to better health, make neighborhoods safer for everyone, and close the educational achievement gap.  For more information, check us out on the Web, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.