The board of directors of Dress for Success Pittsburgh is pleased to announce the hiring of the organization’s new Executive Director, Mónica Méndez, PhD. Ms. Méndez recently moved from Orlando, Florida, where she was the co-Founder and CEO of the House of Mentoring and Empowerment (HOME), an organization advocating for young survivors of human trafficking. Passionate about empowering women and bringing the topic of gendered violence to the public sphere, she brings twelve years of experience in program creation and implementation, training and advocacy to her new endeavor. Dr. Méndez has served as a gender-consultant to corporations, non-profits, and government organizations. She has published and presented her work in both national and international forums and in front of a wide variety of audiences.
Recently, Dr. Méndez was named a Forté Fellow, a prestigious and competitive fellowship awarded to business women with diverse backgrounds who are in business school and who demonstrate exemplary leadership and a commitment to advancing women in business. She was also named an Echoing Green Global Fellowship Semifinalist for her work with HOME and her commitment to the needs of her community and her efforts to meet those needs. Her work, passion and understanding of the issues affecting women and their families was also recognized in 2011 when Gloria Steinem presented her with a medal on behalf of the Veteran Feminists of America (VFA) honoring feminists in Florida who have made extraordinary contributions to the empowerment of women.
Dr. Méndez brings her experience, background and accomplishments to Dress for Success Pittsburgh to advance the economic empowerment of women. She recognizes that women who have job stability provide family stability which then translates to community stability. Her goal is to make Pittsburgh a stronger, healthier community by promoting the financial and social empowerment that women need in order to break the cycle of poverty.