Wilton Resident Named YWCA Woman of the Year

WILTON, CT — The YWCA has named Wilton resident Connie Tate its Woman of the Year.

Tate is chair of the YWCA Service Council, past chair of the YWCA of New York City, and a member of the National Board of the YWCA USA. She co-chairs the YWCA World Service Council, the philanthropic arm of the YWCA USA. The announcement was made at the 45th Annual YW Academy Salute Luncheon on Nov. 2.

Tate's engagement with the YWCA began in the 1970s when she was teaching English at the Nightingale School in NYC and became a member of the YWCA NYC. She joined the board and served as chair 2000-2004 and 2008-2009 and vice-chair in the interim. She also served on the board of the YWCA USA for 12 years (1980-1992). and served many years as a YWCA representative at the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

In a release, the YWCA cited Tate as a "tireless organizer, advocate, fund-raiser, lobbyist, chronicler, and leader for the YWCA. Her infectious energy and commitment to racial and gender justice have attracted young women to get involved and follow in her path as YWCA leaders."

Tate was born and raised in Manhattan. She graduated from Wellesley College, and while raising three sons, she earned an MA in Education from the University of Bridgeport. Connie and her husband Robert Tate raised their children in Wilton. Outside of the YWCA, Connie has been an active member and leader in a number of organizations, including the Adirondack Council Board, Cosmopolitan Club of NYC, Kiwanis Club of Wilton, and St. Matthew’s Church in Wilton.

Tate is the third generation of YWCA leaders in her family, following her mother, Constance Anderson, president of the YWCA USA in the 1950s, and grandmother Antoinette Myers, president of the YWCA NYC in the 1920s.

Photo of Connie Tate via YWCA