AUGUST 2022
Announcing New Board Chair
BOSTON – AUGUST 2022 – empowerHER is pleased to announce that its Board has elected a new Board Chair to lead the organization effective July 1, 2022. Ryan McManus, Chair of the Expansion & Development Committee, was elected Board Chair, and precedes Erin Devine who has successfully served as Board Chair since 2017.
As founder Cara Belvin said: “This organization has benefited from the incredible leadership of Erin Devine all these years and is most grateful for her years of dedication, which has aided in the exponential growth of empowerHER and a more inclusive, impactful community for all. We welcome Ryan to this new leadership role, particularly as the organization most recently announced our vision for expansion to all youth. Ryan was instrumental in our new strategic plan for expansion to all children and young adults who have experienced the loss of a parent. He has established an expansion model and key metrics to move us into this new phase of development and my vision to expand our impactful programs for girls of mother loss to all boys, girls, and non-binary youth who are grieving the loss of their mother or father.”
Ryan is known for his leadership across emerging technologies, corporate strategy, global operations, startups and corporate boards, and he is a dedicated advocate and civic leader. Ryan is the founder of techtonic.io <http://techtonic.io/> and BlockBld, a member of the board of directors of Nortech Systems where he chairs the Science & Technology committee, the President of the New York Chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors, and clinical faculty with Columbia University, Duke CE and other leading institutions. Ryan is the author of several publications and a frequent presenter at summits, forums and institutions on digital transformation, ESG, emerging technologies, and corporate strategy.
As a tech founder and thought leader, Ryan has shown an ability to bring people together in remarkable ways. As we expand to serve all youth of any parent loss, our most recent expansion project—we see a bright future for our young organization.
Ryan remarked, “I hope to support empowerHER’s continued success and expansion—there are hundreds of thousands of kids who have experienced parent loss and who could be helped through empowerHER’s programs.”
Most importantly, Ryan is committed to increasing the number of families we serve and knows just how important it is for young people to have peer support, positive role models and a supportive community. Ryan lost his father as a child, and is committed to our foundational vision for childhood bereavement here in this country and beyond.
Please, join us in thanking Erin and in welcoming Ryan as we begin this next exciting chapter!
● Become a Mentor HERE
● To enroll a girl, visit HERE
● Get to know Founder Cara Belvin HERE
● Be inspired by the brave, beautiful girls of empowerHER HERE
About empowerHER
Headquartered in Norwell, Massachusetts, empowerHER was formed in 2013 by Cara Belvin with a very specific mission—to empower, support and connect girls and young women who have experienced the early loss of their mothers. empowerHER is growing across the country and what began on the east coast is now spreading across the country with the first new Chapter outside New England in Southern California. Today, empowerHER serves 200+ girls across New England and since launching in February, the Southern California Chapter serves 15 girls. empowerHER offers group events and retreats designed to build a supportive community and pairs girls in a 1:1 mentor program with positive role models from the community, many of whom have themselves experienced this profound loss. All programs and activities are provided at no charge to the family. empowerHER operates with a lean staff and hundreds of volunteers.
To learn more about empowerHER, visit www.empoweringher.org. To learn more about empowerHER’s expansion efforts, visit HERE. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.