Monica Y. Shields

Monica Y. Shields is Senior Director of Family & Community Empowerment (on staff since November 2000) for YWCA Central Alabama, whose mission is to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. She was born in Chicago and raised in Alabama. Shields is a graduate of the University of Montevallo, who reluctantly found a path to human services, and for 25 years she has worked with individuals and families facing difficult circumstances, including but not limited to, homelessness, mental and physical disabilities and domestic/intimate partner violence. Twenty years of that service has been under the umbrella of YWCA Central Alabama. Shields previously served the YW in Community Housing, which included the Resident Services Coordinator role. Outside of her YW work, she facilitates a weekly parachurch discussion group and is often asked to consult with participants on matters of relational wellness, specifically implementing practical applications of scriptural principles.