President and CEO Dorri McWhorter featured on ABC7 Chicago’s ‘Black and Powerful’ series

In August, we proudly welcomed a new President and CEO, Dorri McWhorter. Dorri’s appointment marked the first time our Association has had a Black woman executive at its helm. Dorri recently sat down with ABC7 Chicago reporter Leah Hope for the station’s “Black and Powerful” series.

During their conversation, Dorri spoke about what lies ahead for the YMCA of Metro Chicago and gave insight into what motivates her approach to her work.

"I believe in the possibilities of people. I think that it is so important for us to recognize that we can really do so much good by supporting each other, even in the smallest ways,” Dorri said. “Doing good is just creating a better human experience from wherever we are. That could be as simple as being kind to someone because you never know what kind of day they’re having. I don’t want us to take for granted the small acts—as well as the big acts—because every interaction matters, and we all have the opportunity to support other humans."

Dorri also shares stories from her childhood, including some valuable advice from her parents that has stayed with her throughout her career, first in corporate America and eventually in her more recent accomplishments in the nonprofit sector.

She recalls some wisdom from her father: 

“My father used to say to me: ‘No one is better than you, but you’re also no better than anybody.’”

Tune in to the full episode here to learn more about Dorri, including why she has a special affinity for Wonder Woman!