When Deborah Lynn Williams left her job with Sen. Charles Schumer to become CEO of the YWCA of Western New York, she traded in dealing with policy for implementation.

“You’re still managing budgets, managing relationships, dealing with the media, serving people, but this is a more hands-on capacity,” she said.

Since starting in February, Williams has been working to get up to speed on the group’s operations. When she quizzed some friends on what they thought the YWCA does just before taking the job, only one — a teacher — really knew the difference between the organization and the more fitness oriented YMCA. Now that she’s at the helm, Williams is responsible for all the staffing and supplying decisions for a group that cares for women and children with nowhere else to turn and much, much more. But that doesn’t mean she wanted to come in and overhaul everything, especially since as the community’s needs change, so does the YWCA.

“I’m not the kind of person who says ‘You’re doing it terribly and I have the way,’” she said.

Instead, as in government, the job entails a lot of relationship building. On Friday afternoon that meant showing around representatives from the Buffalo Immigrant & Refugees Empowerment Coalition who were looking for some office space at the YWCA’s Grant Street building. Mohamed Mohamed, the group’s president, said BIREC is comprised mostly of immigrants who have established themselves and are looking to give something back.

“Our purpose is to employ our members to help immigrants to be self-sufficient and to assist among themselves,” Mohamed said.

To Williams, that goal matches up perfectly with the YWCA’s mission, stated simply in the slogan “Empowering Women, Eliminating Racism.” Immigrants, particularly immigrant women, often face both of those obstacles and can use a helping hand in transition from the expectations of one culture to the next.

When she was starting out with the New Millennium group, Williams said there were people willing to give her a foothold and she’s hopeful she can do the same for others.

“Somebody just has to give you a start and then you either build it or don’t build it on your own,” Williams said.

The building itself is an interesting one, a repurposed school containing senior apartments, a day care and an office for Native America services among others. Williams said it embodies the YWCA’s vision of mingling people across generational and cultural lines with the goal of increasing understanding and cooperation. Since non-profits are always operating on a limited budget, forging partnerships with groups like BIREC helps both organizations make inroads in the community and avoid duplicating services. The push to work together — something Williams said she’s brought with her from an upbringing in rural Maryland’s small town neighborliness — is something that allows money to be spent more effectively on programs the community needs.

“This whole idea of collaboration and cooperation is what success looks like in my mind,” she said. “In my experience, I don’t feel like I’ve ever accomplished anything entirely on my own. We need to cooperate.”

Contact reporter Daniel Pye at 693-1000, ext. 158.