Catherine Alexander-Wright

Catherine Alexander-Wright is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Alabama and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with a concentration in Management and Community Practice. She started her career approximately 20 years ago, working for the Alabama Department of Human Resources as a child abuse/neglect caseworker. She then moved to Winston-Salem, NC, where she worked for a private law firm serving immigrant victims of crime, and later, for the District Attorney’s office as a victim/witness legal assistant. While in NC, she also served as a domestic violence and sexual assault crisis response volunteer. A fluent Spanish speaker, she has spent much of her career working with Latinx/immigrant families who were attempting to negotiate the child welfare or court system, including survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. She transitioned from her role as Programs Director at ¡HICA! (the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama) in September of 2018, when she became the Director of Domestic Violence Services for the YWCA of Central Alabama: overseeing all operations for domestic violence services for the YWCA, serving Jefferson, Blount, and St. Clair counties, which includes a staff of approximately 45 employees, two confidential shelters, and a family law center. She was promoted to Associate Vice President of DV and Supportive Services in April 2020, which includes oversight of DV Services and the organization’s comprehensive case management and trauma-informed care initiatives. She was President of the Board of Directors of the Jefferson County Children’s Policy Cooperative from 2017-2019. She is the current Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence. She is a 2018 graduate of the Alabama Organizing Project’s Grassroots Leadership Development Program and a 2019 graduate of Leadership Vestavia Hills. She is a member of Alabama Arise and the Interpreters and Translator’s Association of Alabama. She is also active in the Parent-Teacher Organization at her daughter’s elementary school. Her specific areas of interest for future growth include: intimate partner and gender-based violence; child abuse and neglect; inclusivity of marginalized communities (including but not limited to immigrants and/or Limited English speakers); economic, language, and social justice; safe and affordable housing and child development programs; grant writing and management, social service program evaluation and quality assurance; and trauma-informed care. She is a Blackburn Institute Fellow, participates in the Fellows Involvement Network, and is part of the Blackburn Institute’s Advisory Board, with a term starting in 2021.