Alumni Hall of Fame - Myra P. Henry

Myra P. Henry, Ed.D., ‘09
President and CEO, YWCA Rochester and Monroe County
Nominated by Penny Crudup, M.Div.,’12 and Hassan Jones ’92

“I am humbled and honored. MCC provided a solid academic foundation to build upon personally and professionally.”

As she began her lifelong mission to eliminate racism and empower women in the Rochester area, Myra P. Henry earned her associate degree at Monroe Community College. This became a stepping-stone to her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, both earned in organizational management at Keuka College—and she went on to receive her doctorate in executive leadership with an equity lens from St. John Fisher University.

Since then, Dr. Henry has worked for two decades with organizational committees and with leadership teams in higher education, medical centers and non-profits to develop, train and coach the area’s next generation of leaders. All of this led her to take on her latest challenge, as president and chief executive officer of the YWCA Rochester & Monroe County. It didn’t take long before the Rochester Business Journal recognized Dr. Henry as one of the Power 100, the most influential leaders in the Rochester community.

Dr. Henry now works to advance the YWCA’s commitment to partnering with agencies on issues affecting people of color in an effort to dismantle systemic racism, with the intent to “eliminate racism and empower women.” She has launched new equity programming, focused on women of color fund-raisers, and makes diversity, equity and inclusion the top priorities throughout the YWCA’s continuum of housing, supportive living and young adult services.

Her personal philosophy of change, she notes, requires her to “stand in her own truth while walking toward her purpose.” She encourages us to make time for “the energizing power of downtime and critical self-reflection,” as she reaffirmed for herself during the pandemic. Dr. Henry lives in Greece with her husband, Mel, and their four children.