Rodrigua Ross serves as the Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas. She is also the Chair of the National African American Resource Network for YUSA. She has been with the YMCA for over 22 years both in Dallas, Texas and Framingham, Massachusetts.
She’s driven to be an advocate for children and families in under-resourced, marginalized, and access-deficient communities. She is also driven to be a strategist who aids organizations in embedding equity strategies into their operations.
She has collaborated with government entities, public and private nonprofit agencies, and corporate partners nationwide to address issues such as youth development program deficiencies, improving family stability, increasing access in low-income communities, poverty, reducing social stigmas associated with “at- risk” populations, and dismantling of inequitable systems.
To that end, she has:
· Created comprehensive strategies and delivery models to facilitate with organizational pivots during the COVID 19 Crisis.
- Established early childhood learning academies that served hundreds of children each school year through subsidized programs.
- Created food and fresh produce strategies and programs to support families living in food deserts.
- Implemented financial development strategies that raised money to support families with financial assistance to participate in programs and activities as well as for facility capital and infrastructure improvements.
- Chaired a multi-million-dollar Collective Impact Strategy to address public health, education, poverty, public safety, housing and economic development in South Dallas.
- Sat on the task force to develop the first Purpose Built Community in South Dallas.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Master of Business Administration with a focus on Strategic Leadership. She is a national trainer and public speaker in courses with topics ranging from mitigating bias, finance and budgeting, diversity and inclusion, understanding cultural competency, program development, executive presence, business culture, and leading and coaching, and others. She is the National Chair of the African American Resource Network an Employee Resource Group for the YMCA of the USA. She has also partnered to establish a nonprofit based out of her hometown of Brooklyn, New York to support academic achievement among student athletes of color. She is the wife of Dr. Iman Ross, and a mother of three Asha, Azeem, and Ameer.
