President and Chief Executive Officer

President And Chief Executive Officer

YMCA of Northwest North Carolina is an equal opportunity employer. We work to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to reach their full potential with dignity.

This is not a management appointment. It is a mission. The next President & CEO of the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina will inherit one of the most storied community institutions in the American South — and will have an opportunity to shape its next century of impact.

The YMCA of Northwest North Carolina is poised for its next great chapter. The incoming President & CEO will join a senior leadership team of deeply experienced professionals, a Board of Directors that is actively engaged and strategically aligned, and a community that still believes — profoundly — in what the Y represents.

The next leader will be expected to deepen those commitments: to grow programs, strengthen philanthropic capacity, invest in people, build enduring community relationships, and position this Y as the region's most indispensable nonprofit partner. They will hold responsibility for translating vision into results — across every branch, every program, and every constituency the Y serves.

Our ideal candidate is not simply a skilled executive – our board seeks a person of character – someone whose values are visible, whose leadership is embodied rather than performed, and whose presence elevates every room they enter.

Characteristics & Attributes

• Christian values expressed authentically in daily life
• Uncompromising integrity, fairness, and ethical clarity
• Sound business judgment and organizational courage
• The ability to generate resources to support strategic priorities
• Strong supporter and active champion of living out our motto: Love All, Serve All
• Transparent, collaborative leadership style that builds trust
• Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to lead through ambiguity
• Credibility and respected presence in influential community circles
• High comfort level working across public, private, nonprofit, and faith sectors
• Understanding of technology's role in advancing mission and operations
• Commitment to continuous personal and professional growth
• Ability to communicate and connect authentically across cultures and generations
• Deep, genuine commitment to the social mission of the YMCA

Key Skills And Abilities Of Our Next CEO / What The Role Demands: The board has defined five essential leadership domains for the incoming President & CEO. Each is grounded in the Y's cause-driven model and reflects the complexity of leading a multi-branch, community-embedded nonprofit at this scale.

Develop and Implement a Strategic Plan: Work effectively with volunteers, community leaders, and key staff, to create and develop a strategic plan that addresses the needs of the communities served by the Y and includes defined organizational strategies, a clear implementation plan with deliverables, and measurable goals. Key Competencies: Change Leadership, Communication & Influence, Critical Thinking & Decision Making, Program/Project Management

Fiscal Management: Use high-level financial analysis to forecast financial trends, growth, and stability, while consistently leading the organization to balance or surplus operations by growing earned revenue and contributions and controlling costs. Empower and guide staff leaders to lead their departments to successful financial operations. Develop and implement stewardship strategies. Key Competencies: Fiscal Management, Critical Thinking & Decision Making, Developing Self & Others, Philanthropy

Position the Y as a Vital Partner for Community Change: Serve as an ambassador for the mission, purpose, and vision for the YMCA within the community. Possess the ability to develop and cultivate relationships with key stakeholders from a variety of backgrounds, while always upholding the highest standards and values of the Y. Ensure your Y is seen as a leading nonprofit committed to strengthening community by connecting all people to their potential, purpose, and each other. Key Competencies: Communication & Influence, Engaging Community, Collaboration

Improve Operating Performance: Engage the board and appropriate staff to develop an annual tactical plan for identifying and achieving key goals and objectives towards operating with safe, relevant, and sustainable practices. Quickly address issues that may arise, forecast future needs, and manage and direct the Y's operations and activities. Key Competencies: Developing Self & Others, Critical Thinking & Decision Making, Innovation

Build and Lead Staff: Ensure a talent development system is in place and executed effectively with cultural competence. Hire, motivate, nurture, retain, and hold staff accountable for key objectives. Work towards recruiting, retaining, developing, and promoting staff. Encourage the team by creating a spirit of camaraderie, connection, and a sense of mission and purpose. Create a learning organization to help staff achieve their highest potential. Key Competencies: Developing Self & Others, Inclusion, Emotional Maturity, Change Leadership

Steward Fundraising Efforts: Develop and implement an annual fundraising plan that will establish the YMCA as a leading nonprofit organization within the community through the engagement of members, volunteers, staff, and donors. Identify the need for successful capital fundraising, while taking the organization to a new level of effectiveness and impact in annual giving and endowment. Key Competencies: Philanthropy, Engaging Community, Communication & Influence

More Than 137 Years of Community Trust Founded on October 27, 1888, the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina is one of the most active and respected nonprofit organizations in the region. Over thirteen decades, this Y has served as a constant — a place people turn to for support, for community, for belonging. That legacy is not a relic. It is a living mandate.

Today, the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina service area includes Alleghany, Alexander, Davie, Forsyth, Iredell, Stokes, Wilkes, and Yadkin — with a workforce that ranges in age from 15-80. It is a financially strong organization with earned credibility in the boardrooms, neighborhoods, schools, and faith communities of the region.

137 Years Serving the Community 13 Branches Across 8 Counties 1,300 Employees Across the Association

The organization's programs reach deep into the community. Our impact is delivered through Summer Day Camp held throughout the association, overnight camp at YMCA Camp Hanes, the YMCA Literacy Initiative, Reaching Our Potential (a teen mental health initiative), the Achievers Program, Safety Around Water and Youth & Government. These programs connect thousands of young people to life-changing opportunities every year.

Our Mission Helping all people reach their God-given potential in spirit, mind, and body.

Our Vision Thriving communities of healthy, kind, and loving people.

Our Guiding Principles:

WE BELIEVE A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE SHOULD BE WITHIN REACH OF EVERY PERSON. Therefore, we continue our work to provide effective and accessible programs to improve a person's overall well-being - spirit, mind, and body, while we partner with community providers to enhance our efforts.

WE BELIEVE IN BEING SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE. Therefore, we will motivate members and volunteers to work together to make lives and communities better now and for future generations.

WE VALUE COMMUNITY. Therefore, by bringing diverse members, staff, and volunteers together, we will serve as an example and demonstrate the benefits of connection and collaboration in our Y and across our service area.

WE VALUE INCLUSION. Therefore, we will create an environment where all people feel welcome, safe, and valued.

WE VALUE ACCOUNTABILITY. Therefore, we strive to build trust with staff, partners, collaborators, and stakeholders in the community.

Current Key Strategic Initiatives:

Improve Health - Expand and deliver innovative wellness programs that improve health equity and the overall well-being of all people.

Position Youth for Success - Cultivate the health and emotional resilience of our youth so all can maximize their potential.

Elevate Inclusion and Belonging - Increase our reach and impact by removing barriers to the Y resulting in a sense of belonging for all.

Increase Capacity - Grow our resources to ensure we remain relevant, financially sustainable, and committed to meeting the changing needs of the unique communities we serve.

Qualifications

1. An accredited four-year college degree
2. Exceptional written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills aligned with the YMCA's values and mission
3. Demonstrated success in a senior management role within the YMCA movement or a comparable mission-driven organization, with 10 years direct leadership of multi-site teams
4. A proven ability to build and sustain community relationships across diverse populations and sectors
5. Experience developing and leading the execution of an organizational strategic plan
6. A record of leading organizational transformation and building innovative, collaborative, high-performance cultures

Preferred Qualifications

• YMCA Organizational Leader Certification (or obtained within 3 years)
• Sound, fiscally disciplined business management approach in a nonprofit context
• Fundraising experience inclusive of annual campaigns, major gifts, capital campaigns, and grant procurement