The Frank P. Phillips Memorial YMCA has a new leader at the helm to help guide the nonprofit’s mission.
The nonprofit announced Mark Pritchett as its new executive director in a Wednesday press release. The hiring follows former executive director Jimmy Woodruff’s retirement in December after six years in the position.
“One of the things that excites me about the YMCA is I know every day that I wake up, (and) God gives me breath, I’m going to have an opportunity to make a significant difference in somebody’s life that day,” Pritchett told The Dispatch on Wednesday. “ I get very excited about that every day. We’re here at the YMCA to serve our community in any way that we can. I’m grateful that we turn no one away, that we try to figure out a way to serve our entire community and benefit our entire community.”
Pritchett, a native of Greensboro, North Carolina, joins the Y following three years as the CEO and president for Cleveland County Family YMCA in Shelby, North Carolina, and another seven years before that as the executive director for Goldsboro Family YMCA in Goldsboro, North Carolina.
Pritchett brings 15 years of experience as a school administrator. He also served in the U.S. Army as an air traffic controller obtaining the rank of sergeant, the press release said.
Penny Bowen, who chairs the Y’s board of directors, said Pritchett’s wide range of experience made him an easy selection for the committee.
“(He stood out for) his vast experience in everything YMCA,” Bowen said. “He has been an administrator of a school, so he’s worked with youth. He is certified and trained in everything aquatics, and since we have a competition size pool, that was important. He’s run a YMCA before in North Carolina. … And just in interviewing him, he has a wonderful heart. So it was just like the perfect fit for YMCA.”
Bowen said the board selected Pritchett in November after Woodruff made them aware of his plans for retirement at the end of this year. He was selected from a pool of 30 applicants vetted by YMCA of the USA.
Pritchett started the job on Monday, but he’s already begun making an impression on staff and board members, Bowen said.
“There’s been a lot of excitement about his arrival,” she said. “The staff is really excited about maybe some new ideas that a YMCA person can bring to us from another area.”
‘Fired up’ for the job
Pritchett said part of the draw for coming to Columbus was the storied history of the city and the kindness he found when he visited for an interview.
“I saw immediately that this community looked and felt a lot like the community that I was in and that I come from (in) my home community,” Pritchett said. “And the revitalization of downtown, (a) little bit of progressiveness, young people staying in the area (and) wanting to grow families here … it just really interests me.”
Part of Pritchett’s goals over the next 90 days, he said, are to determine how best to lead the Y’s mission in the local community. To achieve that, he plans to open facilities for quarterly town halls to hear the concerns and needs of those in the community.
“I’m not sure when we’ll be able to get the first one kicked off, I hope before March, … but (it will be) a town hall meeting to really listen and sit back and hear what the community believes their needs are and things that they would like to see addressed,” Pritchett said. “And then being able to bring that back to our board and to our staff and begin to put a plan together.”
Pritchett said he expects challenges just like in any job, but he’s excited to meet them and to build the Y into a space that benefits the entire community.
Some issues he noted as high priority include youth health, teen mental health and helping locals to take a holistic approach to their health.
“I think this is a wonderful community so far, but I’m thinking that my work is, how do we sustain the YMCA for the next generation, and how do we impact this community for this next generation?” Pritchett said. “That excites me. … All of the programs that revolve around youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. I can’t think of anything happening in this community that doesn’t fall into one of those three pillars, and the YMCA has an opportunity to play a role in all of that. That just gets me fired up.”
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 30 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
