CEO | YWCA Utah

“It wasn’t ever planned. I just let what moved me move me,” says Liz Owens, CEO of YWCA Utah. 

Growing up in the ’90s in Provo, Utah meant Liz Owens didn’t see the possibilities of life right away. She was raised by a hardworking single mother of three in a predominantly white community. While she enjoyed the safety of the area, there were few people who looked like her who she could learn from. 

“The ultimate goal [was obtaining] a bachelor’s degree. That was climbing a mountain, and I really didn’t see beyond that,” Owens says. But, “Once I climbed that summit—oh my gosh—I could see so many more summits to climb.”

Owens wasn’t sure what she wanted to study when she started at Utah Valley University, but the sociology general credits stood out. 

“I was really moved by that, learning about social problems and social issues,” Owens says. “I started to learn about Black feminism, and that gave me a different lens by which to understand my experience growing up in a predominantly white community.”

After earning her bachelor’s degree in sociology, her passion for human rights and supportive professors led her to a human rights master’s program at the University of Essex. Five years and another degree later, she was ready to come home.

Since returning, Owens has taught as an adjunct professor, worked for several Utah nonprofits—like the Utah Pride Center, Planned Parenthood Organization of Utah and the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault—and served on countless boards. With her lived experience and academic background, Owens advances race and gender equity, specifically focusing on Utah’s marginalized communities.

As the CEO of YWCA Utah, Owens leads the organization in meeting the bold mission of “eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.” Before joining the YWCA, Owens had long been interested in the organization.

When the CEO position opened up right after her first child was born, Owens says she was in “newborn zombie mode” and couldn’t even consider taking anything else on. But, after several people asked her to apply for the position, she sent in her resume. “The rest is history,” she says.

After 10+ years in Salt Lake City, Owens says her greatest accomplishments are the relationships she’s built. She is grateful to all the women leaders who reached out to mentor, tutor and support her when she started at YWCA Utah. 

“The thing Utah has going for it is the women,” Owens says. “We have a lot of women leading the good change.”

Liz Owens is a self-proclaimed womanist, feminist, multi-racial, multi-cultural woman of color. She is a community educator, gender justice and racial justice activist, and a lifelong learner. Her multi-issue work is firmly rooted within a human rights and social justice framework with a focus on the intersections of power and privilege. Owens is brave and bold as she moves forward with collaboration and in celebration of community in everything she does.

Connect with Liz Owens on LinkedIn.