Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network (WREN) Announces Search for its Next CEO
Jun 16, 2023
Statement from WREN
On behalf of the entire WREN community, we want to thank Ann Warner for eight years of service to WREN and its mission. Ann was the founding CEO of WREN. Under her leadership WREN has become one of the leading gender justice advocacy organizations in the Southeast and has contributed to the growth of a powerful movement for health, economic well-being, and rights of women, girls, and their families in South Carolina. Some of her accomplishments as CEO include:
- Launching WREN as South Carolina’s statewide gender justice advocacy organization in 2016
- Building a network of more than 50,000 individual advocates and hundreds of partners in the state and nation
- Steering the organization to pass 6 proactive policies that are improving the health and economic well-being of SC families, including the Pregnancy Accommodations Act, Lactation Support Act, Pharmacy Access Act, Anti-Shackling of Pregnant Incarcerated People Act, Paid Parental Leave for State Employees, and Paid Parental Leave for Educators
- Defeating numerous bills that would have restricted access to reproductive health care, including abortion care and gender-affirming health care – making South Carolina one of the only states in the South to maintain protections for critical health care
- Spearheading groundbreaking research on the gender and racial wealth gap, and the impact of the COVID pandemic on women’ workforce participation in South Carolina
- Launching the WREN Summit and Power Up initiatives to bring attention to the opportunities to improve working conditions and economic opportunities for women and gender expansive people in SC
Our mission and this moment make this an attractive and exciting opportunity for the right candidate. A search committee has been established and has contracted with Koya Partners to conduct the search. Qualified candidates are strongly encouraged to apply here. Ann will remain as CEO through summer 2023 and will be working with the Board and senior management team on a seamless transition.
Statement from Ann Warner: “After nearly eight years as the CEO of WREN, I have decided to step down from my role as CEO at the end of the summer and pursue my next life adventure. Working with the staff and Board of Directors to serve WREN for nearly eight years has been one of the greatest honors of my life. Words can hardly express the depth of my gratitude for this team, our supporters, our partners, and faithful donors. I am proud and thankful for the progress we achieved together. The decision to step down as CEO was not easy, but I reached it with the best interest of this organization in mind and with the full collaboration and support of the Board. WREN has a profoundly important opportunity ahead to shape the future of South Carolina. I believe now is the right time to pass the torch to the next leader. I will always support WREN and remain deeply grateful for the opportunity Beth and the WREN Board of Directors have given me to lead this organization. I am confident that WREN’s best days still lie ahead, and its most important work in service to the people of South Carolina will take place in the years to come.”