Dear Erin,
  

This year, the YMCA National Movement will celebrate 180 years (LA Y - 143 years) of connecting people, creating health-driven programs & services and advocating for our communities. George Williams and his decision to assemble a group of friends and colleagues for the first YMCA meeting brought together a group of young men with a purpose that was specific to the needs of the time. While we retain the values and spirit of this first YMCA iteration, the organization has evolved into something that has impacted lives across the globe for multiple generations of families and individuals. This didn’t occur by accident or happenstance. The Y has solidified its place in the world through strategic thinking and the betterment of our communities in mind. The Y has achieved its status as a trusted organization because of thoughtful conversations, risk-taking and an innate ability to question if there is a different, and better way to achieve our goals. 

Today at the Y, most Association leadership teams across the country are at least 50% female-driven and while this is nothing new for an organization that prides itself on leaning on internal talent and innovation, we must ensure that women continue to have a significant voice in the YMCA movement by celebrating the work of women who laid a strong foundation for this generation of female Y leaders. We would not, and could not, be an organization for all without the involvement of women early on in our formative years. While we celebrate the strides of Ellen Brown (the first paid Y employee) or Patricia Pelton (the first President of the World YMCA), it’s important to remain connected to the next generation of female leadership who are likely in the early stages of their YMCA journeys as we speak. Celebrate the individual journeys that our female leads have pushed through to accomplish what may have been less difficult for a man but understand that it’s the decisions we make today that will dictate the ability for all leaders to influence going forward.

This month, our Women’s Leadership ERG is celebrating the women who have made our Association the incredible place it is today. Thank you to all who have contributed your nominations and please be on the lookout for social media posts throughout the month that will highlight the women who have inspired and influenced positive change.

I’m proud to lead an organization that understands the value of not only equitable representation but of embracing the fact that only a woman could have elevated the organization to where it is today.

Victor Dominguez
President & CEO
YMCA OF METROPOLITAN LOS ANGELES

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YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles
4301 W 3rd Street
Los Angeles,
United States