BURLINGTON, MA– Sylvia Ferrell-Jones, President and Chief Executive Officer of YW Boston, will be the Guest of Honor at the 14th Annual Woman of the Year Awards Gala this year, organizers of the event announced. YW Boston is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to eliminating racism and empowering women.
“In addition to dedicating her services to elimination racism and empowering women, Ms. Ferrell-Jones has been a major player in the field of commercial real estate investment and asset management,” said Upendra Mishra, publisher of INDIA New England News, which is the producer of the annual Woman of the Year Awards gala. “We are looking forward to her inspiring speech at the event.”
The Woman of the Year Awards Gala, which honors 20 outstanding women from various fields, will be held on Friday, June 3, at Burlington Marriott Hotel in Burlington, MA. The event will also bestow Lifetime Achievement Award to Jasmine Shah, and honor Woman of the Year 2016.
Ferrell-Jones joined YW Boston in late January 2007, after 25 years in the fields of real-estate investment management and non-profit governance and executive leadership. At YW Boston, she has shepherded a dramatic shift in the organization’s focus, leading towards greater financial stability and enhanced programmatic outcomes.
For twenty years, Ferrell-Jones has focused on management of real-estate based assets, serving as a director at AEW Capital Management, headquartered in Boston, and as a principal investment officer with the state of Connecticut Trust Funds, with portfolios ranging up to $2 billion.
Subsequently, Ferrell-Jones served as Director of Agency Development for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, where she provided governance, management and fundraising consultations to a $26 million not-for-profit affiliate portfolio.
She earned her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and her juris doctor from Yale Law School. She has held leadership roles with numerous community and professional organizations, including local, regional and national real estate organizations; the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ; Big Brothers Big Sisters of America; Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay; LeadBoston; and The Partnership.
Ferrell-Jones currently serves on the board of directors for United Church Funds; Andover Newton Theological School; and the Wellesley Centers for Women, and sits on an advisory board for Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Women’s Network, and the corporate advisory board for Women of ALPFA (Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting).