Arshele Stevens: Executive Director
Chicago, IL – Arshele Stevens has joined Connections for Abused Women and their Children as Executive Director. She brings a deep commitment to social impact and two decades of experience in supporting vulnerable populations.
Her distinguished career includes serving as the President of Kennedy-King College where she championed initiatives to support students from diverse backgrounds in achieving their graduation goals with culturally appropriate services and programs. As the Founding Chief Executive Officer for Girls Inc. of Chicago, Stevens established and grew the organization, focusing on empowering girls through educational, emotional, and trauma-informed support to thrive. During her time as the Senior Vice President of Children, Youth, and Families at Catholic Charities of Chicago, she spearheaded the vast programming needed to empower families and youth experiencing personal and societal challenges including domestic violence, parenting, and immigration.
Connections for Abused Women and their Children (CAWC) is committed to ending domestic violence. Using a self-help, empowerment approach, CAWC provides a shelter for adults and children, counseling, legal advocacy, and a 24-hour hotline for people affected by domestic violence. CAWC works for social change through education, service collaboration, and institutional advocacy.
In 1977, CAWC established the first domestic violence hotline in the city of Chicago and opened the first shelter for battered women and their children, Greenhouse Shelter, in 1979. With a long history of service and advocacy for abused women and their children over the years, CAWC has evolved in response to changing needs, focusing on client-based services that are both trauma-informed and trauma-sensitive. CAWC is also known throughout Chicago for its emphasis on bi-cultural, bilingual services. For more information, visit www.cawc.org.
