Yvonne Cowser Yancy
Former Chief Administrative Officer at Understood.org
Watch our video interview with Yvonne.
Yvonne Cowser Yancy is an accomplished professional with extensive experience in leadership and human resources. As the former Chief Administrative Officer at Understood.org, Yvonne assumed a critical role, overseeing all aspects of people, finance, legal, and board governance operations. Understood is a mission-driven technology startup with a substantial reach, connecting with over 2 million users monthly across various products and social media platforms.
Understood.org serves as a valuable resource, providing expert advice, essential resources, and a supportive community for individuals with learning and thinking differences. Additionally, Yvonne offered her consulting expertise to an affiliated venture fund and incubator, supporting early-stage companies in their growth and development.
Prior to her role at Understood, Yvonne was the Founder and CEO of YSquare Advisors, a boutique consultancy based in Atlanta, GA. YSquare Advisors specializes in equipping developing organizations with expert insights and resources to build, grow, or transform their human capital strategies — aligning them with key business goals.
Yvonne also held the position of Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at The Fresh Market, a premier specialty gourmet grocer with a presence in 22 states, generating nine-figure revenue. In this capacity, Yvonne was responsible for overseeing people strategies and initiatives.
Before that, Yvonne served as the Head of Human Resources (Commissioner) for the City of Atlanta, the seventh largest municipality in the U.S. Her responsibilities included managing a department budget of $14 million, leading a team of six direct reports, and driving the development and execution of the city's people strategies, transforming HR from a transactional cost center into a value-add strategic partner.
Yvonne possesses an MBA in Personnel Employee Relations and Finance from Georgia State University, as well as a BA in Economics from Northwestern University.
In addition to her professional accomplishments, Yvonne actively contributes to the community as a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and The Links, Incorporated.
With expertise in Talent Management (endorsed by Randy Hain and 4 others) and Performance Management (endorsed by Eugene David Anderson, Jr. MS, HRM, and others), Yvonne brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the table.
Yvonne Cowser Yancy is a proven leader with a passion for optimizing human capital strategies and driving organizational success.
