Last week, we held our first ever virtual Y Leadership Team retreat. Traditionally, we bring together all of the Y’s leaders (those Y associates who are in exempt-level positions) twice a year for a half day retreat in which we focus on one major topic in an interactive, engaging and fun manner. Obviously, bringing together over 200 people in one place isn’t an option now, so we used the virtual format and, all things considered, it worked out well.
The key topic we focused on was the need for the Y’s leaders to find balance and practice “self-care” in the midst of these challenging times, particularly given how many of our colleagues who are no longer working alongside us and how much harder everyone is working. Y leaders are naturally caring and selfless people, so they often have to be reminded and, in some ways, be given “permission” to care for themselves in addition to all of the people in our community they attend to. We were fortunate to be joined by Shanna Smiley, Director of Multicultural Leadership Development for the Y of the USA, whose virtual session was very well-received. She left us with some very helpful tools and approaches to getting through all of the extra stress being felt by Y leaders, both professionally and personally.
After that session, we recognized several key leaders who were nominated and selected by their peers as being exemplars of the Y’s core leadership competencies and outstanding in other ways.
Those leadership winners were:
Advancing our Cause and Mission
- Abby Baldwin (Y Community School Coordinator, The Academy of College and Career Exploration)
- Alexis Perkins (Program Coordinator, The Weinberg Y in Waverly)
Relationship Building
- Jovan Custis (Y Community School Director, Walter P. Carter Elementary/Middle School)
- Alexandra Francois (Fitness Director, The Walter & Betty Ward Y in Abingdon)
Leading Operations
- Shatia Bennett (Regional Education Manager, Y Head Start)
- Kelly Lepley (Executive Director, Fitness)
Developing Self & Others
- Ashley Funk (Associate Executive Director, The Weinberg Y in Waverly)
- Heather Naviasky (Executive Director, Teen Experience)
Lynn Quinney Award (Named in honor of the late Y associate)
- Norm Wehland (Regional Property Manager)
COVID Heroes (Awarded to Y teams that have exhibited creativity and commitment to the Y mission during COVID)
- Dana Ashley (VP, Youth Development Operations) & her Before & After School Enrichment, Emergency Care & Academic Support Team
- Rob Gray (VP, Operations & Property Management), Danny Defebo (Senior Property Director) & the Property Management Team
- Eric Somerville (VP, Corporate and Civic Engagement) & the Social Responsibility Team
Please join me in congratulating all of these terrific Y leaders as well as all of our colleagues who are working so hard and so compassionately in these extraordinary times.
All the best,
John
John K. Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland