The Auburn YMCA-WEIU has a new executive director to succeed Jim Courtney when he retires in September.
Kurt Kramer, currently of Illinois, was tapped to lead the Y by its board of directors last month. He will begin Oct. 6.
YMCA has been in Kramer's blood since graduate school, and he has since led two Ys in New England and currently works at the national YMCA organization in Chicago writing training materials for YMCA staff, Auburn YMCA board President Michael Bersani said.
“The best predictor of the future is the past,” Bersani said. “Everything in Kurt's past points toward a very successful future at this Y. ... He brings with him a past that demonstrates that he's capable of being able to pick up the baton from Jim Courtney.”
Courtney announced his retirement in March after serving the YMCA-WEIU for 20 years. He will stay on through the end of September, when Kramer is available.
During Courtney's tenure, the YMCA-WEIU facility on William Street expanded and was renovated, including a fitness center, nautilus room and nutrition center. The facility also offers new programs, such as children's care and day camps.
The board established a seven-member search committee last fall to conduct a nationwide and local search for a new director, said Bersani, who also sat on the committee.
The board received 51 applications from both YMCA and non-YMCA people. While the committee kept an open mind, Bersani said, it learned quickly that hiring inside the YMCA organization had its benefits.
“As we started looking at the process, we realized quickly the advantage of an insider who speaks the language, knows the ropes, and the learning curve is so much shorter,” he said.
After an extensive vetting and interview process, the committee narrowed down the pool and on June 26 hired Kramer as its new executive director.
Bersani said Kramer has “extremely high credentials” and received “strong recommendations from people he worked under, with and for.” He brings with him knowledge of how to run a YMCA horizontally - sharing ideas with area YMCA locations - and vertically - through its national organization.
He also spoke of Courtney's leadership with immense praise and was gracious for what he has done for the YMCA-WEIU.
“Jim was such a YMCA star, and not just locally,” he said. “Everyone here recognized that he ran a superb YMCA. He brought a below-par YMCA to a stellar YMCA that is envied not only regionally but nationally.”
“Twenty years is a very long tenure for a YMCA executive director and it's been a really great one,” he later added. “Change is always a little bit scary and everyone gets a bit nervous, but we who have gotten to know Kurt have confidence that it will be a very positive experience.”
Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 239 or alyssa.sunkin@lee.net
YMCA has been in Kramer's blood since graduate school, and he has since led two Ys in New England and currently works at the national YMCA organization in Chicago writing training materials for YMCA staff, Auburn YMCA board President Michael Bersani said.
“The best predictor of the future is the past,” Bersani said. “Everything in Kurt's past points toward a very successful future at this Y. ... He brings with him a past that demonstrates that he's capable of being able to pick up the baton from Jim Courtney.”
Courtney announced his retirement in March after serving the YMCA-WEIU for 20 years. He will stay on through the end of September, when Kramer is available.
During Courtney's tenure, the YMCA-WEIU facility on William Street expanded and was renovated, including a fitness center, nautilus room and nutrition center. The facility also offers new programs, such as children's care and day camps.
The board established a seven-member search committee last fall to conduct a nationwide and local search for a new director, said Bersani, who also sat on the committee.
The board received 51 applications from both YMCA and non-YMCA people. While the committee kept an open mind, Bersani said, it learned quickly that hiring inside the YMCA organization had its benefits.
“As we started looking at the process, we realized quickly the advantage of an insider who speaks the language, knows the ropes, and the learning curve is so much shorter,” he said.
After an extensive vetting and interview process, the committee narrowed down the pool and on June 26 hired Kramer as its new executive director.
Bersani said Kramer has “extremely high credentials” and received “strong recommendations from people he worked under, with and for.” He brings with him knowledge of how to run a YMCA horizontally - sharing ideas with area YMCA locations - and vertically - through its national organization.
He also spoke of Courtney's leadership with immense praise and was gracious for what he has done for the YMCA-WEIU.
“Jim was such a YMCA star, and not just locally,” he said. “Everyone here recognized that he ran a superb YMCA. He brought a below-par YMCA to a stellar YMCA that is envied not only regionally but nationally.”
“Twenty years is a very long tenure for a YMCA executive director and it's been a really great one,” he later added. “Change is always a little bit scary and everyone gets a bit nervous, but we who have gotten to know Kurt have confidence that it will be a very positive experience.”
Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 239 or alyssa.sunkin@lee.net
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