Loyce Pierce-Wright

Board President

Over the last 18 years, Loyce Wright has been actively engaged in rebuilding the YWCA of New Orleans, which was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. As President of the Board of Directors and an inspirational leader for her board members and a cadre of volunteers Mrs. Wright is at the helm of the rebuilding effort. She has navigated through FEMA regulations and developed fundraising strategies to obtain funding to rebuild the physical structure, estimated to cost nearly 10 million dollars. She is not daunted by the task, because she knows that in present-day New Orleans, the hallmark programs of the YWCA are needed more than ever before and are necessary to support women and girls seeking to rebuild, restore and enhance their lives. “A Champion of the Common Good," Mrs. Wright has had a distinguished career in public service as an educator, university administrator, and an appointed city and state official. She retired as the Executive Director of the Louisiana Commission on Human Rights in the Office of the Governor after serving in that position for nearly seventeen years having been appointed by three Governors.

In her capacity as executive director, she was responsible for enforcing the state’s anti-discrimination laws in employment, banking and lending practices, and public accommodations. Mrs. Wright received a Bachelor of Science degree from Southern University of Baton Rouge, majoring in French and Spanish Education. She received a Master’s degree from the University of New Orleans with a concentration in Educational Administration and Supervision and Urban Affairs. She is a certified mediator. She is a Diamond Life Member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, and a member of the Crescent City (LA) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated. Mrs. Wright is the widow of Louis Clifton Wright, Jr. and the mother of Dr. Kiana Wright. Her motto is “There are Blessings in the midst of the storm and God is…