Sylvia joined the YWCA Boston as President and CEO in 2007 after 25 years in the fields of real-estate investment management and nonprofit governance and executive leadership. The YWCA Boston is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.

For twenty years she 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, Sylvia 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. As Director for the Northeast Region, she and her staff supported over 100 local Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies located from Maine to West Virginia. Sylvia served as an expert on Board Governance for the national organization.

She earned her bachelor’s degree from Cornell 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 industry groups, the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ; Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay; LeadBoston; and The Partnership. She currently serves as a board member for the United Church Foundation, the Wellesley Centers for Women at Wellesley College, and Andover Newton Theological School.

For fun, Sylvia sings with the Back Bay Chorale and in her church choir. She’s a prolific craftsperson, having taught knitting and crocheting to many groups of children. She has combined her love of sports and of working with young people by becoming a licensed soccer coach and founder of an elite soccer club. Sylvia lives in the Boston area with her husband Sal Jones, who operates a community theatre group. They have two children, Lauren (now 27 and living in NYC) and Evan (19 and a student at Roger Williams University).

At the time of our 35th reunion, Sylvia remains at the helm of YWCA Boston as its President and CEO. YW Boston works to build racial, gender and social equity through programs reaching men and women, and boys and girls middle school age and older. For fun, Sylvia is an active musician, singing with the 110 voice Back Bay Chorale, and studying organ for the past 2+ years.

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Sylvia died of cancer on November 29, 2017. In a letter she wrote a few weeks before she passed, she thanked her colleagues at YW Boston saying "looking back at everything we have done together, I can see how far we have come and I rejoice at all of the progress made in our struggle to bring peace, justice, and freedom for all." She added "even as I reflect and write of our accomplishments, I can see how much work still lies ahead of us."