One Whittie’s Mission To Empower Walla Walla Women & Children

When Anne-Marie Zell Schwerin ’85 joined a Walla Walla bowling league as a recent Whitman College graduate, she had no idea it would change the course of her life. 

Looking for opportunities to get involved in the community, Zell Schwerin asked her teammates for advice. One encouraged her to check out the YWCA of Walla Walla, which provides critical domestic violence and sexual assault services, community programs and childcare services to the Walla Walla Valley.

“I’ll never forget walking up the stairs of the YWCA for the first time,” she says. During that first meeting, then Executive Director Peggy Sanderson (Parent ’82, ’83, ’88) described the organization’s mission of eliminating racism and empowering women. Zell Schwerin was sold. At 23, she was one of youngest to ever volunteer on the YWCA’s board of directors. 

“I was and still am passionate about that mission,” she says, “so I was on a mission to learn everything I could and do everything well.”

Over the next three decades, while working full-time in Walla Walla, first as a bookkeeper and then in accounting, she took leadership roles on local and national YWCA boards. Then in 1996 she left accounting to serve full-time as YWCA of Walla Walla’s Associate Director and Chief Financial Officer. In 2001, she stepped in as Executive Director, where she remained until her retirement in April 2025. 

During that time, the advocate and visionary has had an enormous impact on the Walla Walla community, thanks largely to her steadfast trust—both in the organization’s mission and in her own ability to make a difference. 

The ‘Circle of Growth’

Zell Schwerin credits support from other women in the organization—Sanderson in particular—for giving her the confidence to step into leadership roles at the YWCA. “These women believed in me before I believed in myself,” she says.

Under Zell Schwerin’s leadership, the YWCA’s reach grew impressively. “We have expanded programs to reach more people in more places, helped to reverse drop-out rates among young Latinas, helped thousands of children to start school with the social and emotional skills necessary to succeed in life, [and] walked with women and children during some of the most dangerous and difficult times of their lives,” she says. Additionally, “98% of those served in our critical sexual assault and domestic violence services report that they not only feel safer, they know what to do next.” 

With Zell Schwerin at the helm, the YWCA met a myriad of milestones, including growing their endowment from $1 million to over $5 million, and earning a $1 million grant from philanthropist Mackenzie Scott. That successful fundraising made it possible to complete a large-scale remodel and to create a shelter specifically for large families escaping domestic abuse. 

Perhaps one of the most meaningful initiatives Zell Schwerin oversaw was the expansion of the Mariposa program. What started as a small program for the children of farmworkers in 1997 evolved into a district-wide life skills program that has helped to reverse the high school dropout rate among Latinas. 

Often engaging bilingual Whitman students as group leaders, Mariposa has also served as a springboard for many Whitties who, as a result of the transformative leadership experience, have chosen career paths that allow them to continue enriching the lives of girls and women.

“It speaks to that circle of growth the YWCA perpetuates,” Zell Schwerin says. “I know it did that for me, and I believe it will continue to do that for women both in our community and globally.”

A Solid Whitman Foundation

If her drive to uplift women and promote social justice helped Zell Schwerin and the YWCA reach new heights, Whitman was the solid ground on which it was built. 

“Whitman got me ready to try new things,” she says. “It gave me the confidence to say, ‘I can do that, I will learn that and I will do the best job possible.’” 

Zell Schwerin transferred to Whitman as a junior—and packed a lot into two years. As a Political Science major, she hadn’t planned on taking Economics courses but came to appreciate how political decisions are often intertwined with resources and decided to minor in Economics. She felt she also needed a deeper math background—which led her to Professor of Mathematics, Emeritus, Bob Fontenot, whom she remembers “making math really fun.” 

Fitting in an Economics minor and advanced Math classes over four semesters was intimidating, but mastering those courses was “a huge confidence boost,” she says. Without that experience, she might not have mustered the moxie to take on a leadership role at the YWCA so early in her professional life. 

“I took it as a challenge,” she says. “I walked in thinking, ‘I’m gonna show you just how good young people can be.” 

Plus, her background gave her the real-world skills she needed to make financial decisions at the YWCA as she took on increasingly more significant leadership roles. As Sanderson reminded her many times, “We don’t need another social worker. We need someone with your finance background.”  

The Next Chapter

Zell Schwerin might be retired now, but she’s nowhere near done making an impact. She’s just as passionate about serving the community as ever, especially helping others in the nonprofit world navigate the challenging political landscape. 

When the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence asked her to coach their accountant and help them prepare for a federal audit, Zell Schwerin didn’t hesitate. She’s also working with former government attorneys to create a playbook to help federal grant recipients navigate the appeals process, should those grants be terminated. “I’m reading the 300-page Department of Justice grant manual as my bedtime reading,” she says with a chuckle.

Zell Schwerin is also enjoying her newfound free time—traveling, relishing leisurely lunches with friends, and enjoying the luxury of focusing on one thing at a time. 

True to form, she is also exploring new opportunities to volunteer in the community. After serving mainly on boards and committees, she says she’d love to work with the AARP’s Tax-Aide program to help seniors prepare their taxes. “I think that would be kind of fun, just to close the circle.”