Casey Harden

General Secretary, World YWCA

Casey (she/her) is a testament to the YWCAs mission to create space for young women to be leaders, in all their diversities, working together to contribute to gender equality.

Since January 2019, as the 15th General Secretary of World YWCA, Casey has been driving the realisation of the global YWCA movements’ Goal 2035 – 100 million young women transforming power structures - and tackling exciting operational, governance, and partnership opportunities to ensure the vitality and relevancy of YWCA in the 21st century. She demonstrates commitment to transparency, authenticity and inclusion, and a closely held aspiration for World YWCA to be accountable to the leaders of the YWCA global movement, most especially young leaders.

Casey has worked in the local, regional and national sphere of the USA on issues of health and wellness, sexual and gender-based violence, economic security, racism, and social justice, while growing into a professional adept at operations, strategy, governance, and activism. Casey joined the YWCA movement 23 years ago and through various executive and leadership positions, has shown how to harness a movement that is rich and wide-reaching in its diversity toward a common goal for collective impact, including a multi-year transformative process toward the YWCA USA mission of racial justice.

Casey is well known to say, “Regardless of if it is the most grand idea, failure, or success for World YWCA – if it does not support girls, young women or women in community, or a YWCA leader – it is of no matter.”

An aspiring astronaut, proud mama of four, and YWCA torchbearer who finds joy in the simple things of life, Casey believes that young women and girls will lead the way in realizing the global goal of leaving no one behind.