Yolanda Coentro

Yolanda is the President and CEO of the Institute for Non-Profit Practice where she is leading the development and implementation of the organization’s strategic plan to scale nationally. Yolanda was recently named a 2019 Barr Foundation Fellow, featured in the Chronicle of Philanthropy as one of "15 More People Changing the Nonprofit World" and one of 25 "Powers That Will Be" in Boston Magazine. She is a 2018 recipient of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce’s TOYL (Ten Outstanding Young Leaders) Award, a 2017 Social Innovation Forum "Social Innovator," and has been featured in a number of publications including the Boston Globe, Boston Voyager, and Social Innovations Journal.

Prior to the Institute, Yolanda was the Chief Operating Officer at Horizons for Homeless Children and served as the Vice President for Programs at YWCA Boston.Additionally, Yolanda worked at The Home for Little Wanderers as the Director of the Safe At Home Program where she oversaw a rapid and successful expansion, building the operating budget from $1 million to $5 million, quadrupled the staff and established a competitive internship program.

As a Diversity and Organizational Development practitioner, Yolanda consults with various nonprofits and state agencies with a focus on diversity and inclusion, leadership development, and organizational culture change. She is currently an Overseer at the Boston Children’s Museum and serves on Independent Sector’s Public Policy Committee. A graduate of Boston College, she has a Master’s in Social Work and is a proud alum of the Institute for Nonprofit Practice.