WCA names longtime employee as new CEO

The Women’s and Children’s Alliance has chosen one of its own to lead the organization into its next chapter, naming Laura Honn as CEO following the retirement of longtime leader Bea Black.

The WCA Board of Directors announced the appointment Monday. Honn, who has served on the organization’s executive leadership team for six years, will officially assume the role April 6. She most recently served as the WCA’s director of revenue and outreach and has also supported the agency’s client-facing community services teams.

She succeeds Black, who led the Boise-based nonprofit for 18 years before announcing her retirement in 2025. Black will remain with the organization in an executive advisor capacity during the transition.

Jess Flynn, president of the WCA Board of Directors and a member of the CEO search committee, said Honn’s deep familiarity with the organization made her the right choice at a challenging moment for nonprofits serving survivors of domestic and sexual violence.

“As funding landscapes shift and the demand for our services grows, we needed a CEO with both the vision and the grounding to lead through that complexity, and we are confident Laura is that person,” Flynn said. “We also want to honor the extraordinary 18-year legacy of Bea Black, whose leadership has made WCA the respected, resilient organization it is today.”

Honn’s path to the WCA’s top job spans nearly two decades of human services leadership on two continents. She began her career in the United Kingdom as operations manager for youth protective services at the Salford Foundation, where she worked in domestic violence and sexual assault services. After relocating to the United States in 2015, she served as campus director of Lake of the Woods and Greenwoods Summer Camps before joining the WCA in 2020 as philanthropy manager.

She has also served as an associate board member of Lincoln Park Community Shelter in Chicago and as past president of the Wild Hearts Idaho Board of Directors. In 2024, she was named to the Idaho Business Review‘s Accomplished Under 40 list.

Black said Honn’s ability to respond to unpredictable challenges sets her apart as a leader.

“The challenges we face these days are usually unexpected and come without warning,” Black said. “Being able to pivot and adapt are abilities that she has demonstrated from very early on in her tenure at the organization. I look forward to celebrating the success of the WCA under her leadership in the years to come.”

The WCA served more than 22,000 community members in 2025, providing over 10,000 safe bed nights across its two shelters. The organization also offers counseling, legal advocacy, crisis services and case management to survivors of domestic and sexual abuse.