Located in Mount Vernon, NY, Joanne Dunn is the first woman to lead the Youth Shelter Program of Westchester (YSOW) since its incorporation in 1975. Conceived by a Westchester judge and schoolteacher who recognized the need for early intervention in the lives of young offenders, this organization has been providing a home-like alternative to jail for young men, for over 40 years, with great results.
Few people in the state are as committed to creating life-changing opportunities for young people as Joanne Dunn. For more than 15 years, the Mount Vernon nonprofit leader has been managing employment programs for the county’s most vulnerable residents. Dunn helped launch the READI program in Peekskill to help young people get prepared for the workplace, and she received the NAACP Peekskill chapter’s award for outstanding service to youth and families. In the spring of 2022, she moderated a panel on nonprofits and colleges collaborating to fulfill their missions.
Ms. Dunn’s commitment to youth is more of a calling than a job. She has served as a troop leader for the Westchester Putnam Girl Scouts, a member of the Peekskill City School Districts Parental/Community Involvement Committee, a Parent Coordinator for the Peekskill Pop Warner Football League, and as an Executive Board Member for the Peekskill NAACP, which awarded her for her outstanding service to youth and families. She previously served on the Advisory Board for the SUNY Westchester Educational Opportunity Center, Westchester County’s Fatherhood Committee, and the Arts10566 Advisory Board. She is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and was awarded a Forty under Forty by The Business Council of Westchester. Joanne is a proud graduate of Leadership Westchester.
A lifelong Peekskill resident, Dunn was 4 years old when her father went to prison for just shy of three decades.
In January 2020, just as the coronavirus was picking up speed, Dunn stepped into her groundbreaking role at The Youth Shelter Program of Westchester, with a mission to not only provide a home for the 18- to 21-year-old offenders who were sent there instead of jail or prison but also to address their emotional and educational needs and guide them on the road to better lives.
A woman of faith and a firm believer in “the power of restoration and second chances,” Dunn reminds the young men in her care that “it doesn’t matter what’s behind you; it’s what’s in front of you and what you want your story to be,” impressing on them that “they have the power to change their narratives,” and she is living proof of that.
Dunn’s education, work history, and personal passions almost seem like they were created for her to be at the helm of YSOW. She has a degree in child-and-family development from Benedict College; she was assistant vice president of youth and employment services at Westhab, where she spent 12 years; and she worked with the City of Peekskill Youth Bureau to provide overall leadership and direction to the Workforce Investment Act Out-of-School Youth program. Yet, it was less about her career and more about her personal experience that brought her to where she is today.
In 2022. Dunn was named on the City & State’s Westchester Power 100 list, which highlights many of the prominent power players of Westchester County. Also in 2022 Joanne Dunn received a Community Service Award from the Westchester Multicultural Chamber and was named as one of 914INC. 2022 Top CEOs and Business Leaders. In 2023 Ms. Dunn was honored with the Westfair Business Journal Women Innovator Award which honors superwomen who take initiative, drive positive change, and redefine the workplace experience across all industries. in 2024 she was awarded 914inc’s Women In Business Award!
Black Westchester celebrates Joanne Dunn for her advocacy of bettering the lives of the youth!
Excerpt from the book, “Black Westchester Celebrates Black Women Of Westchester,” available on Amazon or email BlackWestchesterMag@gmail.com to purchase your autographed copies.
