Inspirational charity boss, Tracy Gollins, steps down as CEO

After an incredible 32-year journey with YWCA Yorkshire, Tracy Gollins will be stepping down from her role as Chief Executive Officer at the end of March 2025. Tracy’s leadership has been instrumental in shaping the charity into the leading organisation it is today, providing vital support to vulnerable women, children, and families across South Yorkshire.

Tracy first joined YWCA in 1993 at the age of just 28 with a bold vision—to develop the organisation’s first hostel for homeless young women in Sheffield. She oversaw the construction of Peile House from the ground up, working on-site from a portacabin and collaborating with architects and builders to ensure it would be the most modern and effective provision for vulnerable young women in the area. Once completed, she went on to establish the service, recruit the staff, and manage the project.

Following this success, Tracy led the development of two new services in Rotherham and Doncaster in response to the Tony Blair Social Exclusion Unit’s 1999 report on teenage pregnancy. These services, Fleming Gardens and Green Gables launched in 2004, providing vital support to young parents, and helping them to build brighter futures. It was at this point that Tracy became YWCA Yorkshire’s first CEO, recruiting three new Project Managers to oversee the expanding services.

Throughout her tenure, Tracy has steered the charity through significant social, political, technological and economic change.

She has seen the introduction of competitive tendering, which placed the sector under immense pressure, but also raised standards and improved quality. She has seen the range and scale of abuse suffered by vulnerable young women increase, but she has also witnessed their incredible resilience and bravery.

Despite cuts to interdependent services and growing financial challenges, Tracy has been inspired by the unyielding commitment of YWCA Yorkshire’s staff. Their dedication and compassion have ensured that the charity continues to deliver life-changing support, even when they are increasingly asked to do more with less.

Reflecting on her time with YWCA Yorkshire, Tracy Gollins, said: "It’s been an amazing 32 years, and I’ve had the privilege of working with some incredible people—committed board members, talented managers, compassionate staff, brilliant volunteers, and a range of wonderful partners, commissioners, businesses, charities, and individuals. I know that I leave YWCA Yorkshire in a strong position to take its next big steps.

“If I were to describe the legacy I’d most like to be remembered for, it is for the part I’ve played in the long and remarkable history of this incredible organisation—a charity that has been supporting women in Britain and worldwide since 1855. My 32 years is just a brief chapter in comparison, but one that I am immensely proud of. Knowing that I’ve helped in some small way to keep alive one of the world’s oldest women’s charities, ensuring it continues to do the vital work it was founded to do, is something I will always cherish."

Tracy’s departure marks the end of an era, but she won’t be leaving YWCA Yorkshire entirely. She will remain part of the organisation in a new role focusing on grants and funding development, helping the charity to continue to grow and thrive.

As YWCA Yorkshire prepares to enter an exciting new chapter, Tracy hands over the reins to a truly deserving successor, Diane Offers, and does so with pride, gratitude, and optimism for the future.