The YMCA Volunteer Leadership Award will be given to local YMCAs to acknowledge leadership in any aspect of Youth Development, Healthy Living or Social Responsibility where the volunteer has made significant impact on the YMCA or the community. 2024 awards have been given to CEOs for recognition as they choose. 2025 nominations will begin in early 2025.
Our goal is to recognize retired YMCA CEOs in our Regional Alliance who have provided leadership to their respective YMCA community, the YMCA’s throughout the Alliance, and some CEO’s who have shared their expertise nationally. Each winter all 50 of the corporate YMCA’s will have an opportunity to nominate a retired YMCA CEO, living or deceased. Those CEOs will then vote on all nominated names in early spring. Annually at the YMCA Spring Executive Conference in Wisconsin Dells, the recipients will be presented with their award. With several qualified retired CEO’s eligible for this recognition, we are sure that recognizing a minimum amount each year will ensure that this award goes on for a long time. The Alliance will email all CEOs the nomination information prior to the spring leadership conference.
Dan Newhouse Recipients (WI/U.P. MI)
2016: Dan Newhouse
2017: Fred Hauser, Pat O'Brien
2018: Tom Jackson, Jack Murray
2019: Anne Derber, Steve Harty
2020: Tom Blaze, Reid Stangel
2021: Jeff Collen, Tom Beerntsen
2022: Gary Nash, John Schaaf
2023: Bill Breider, Dennis Lipp
2024: Kent Johnson
2025:
Mark Hennessy Recipients (MN)
2022: Mark Hennessy, Dennis Dieser
2023: Andy Johnson, Betsy McBride
2024: Andy Blomsness, John Kind
2025:
The YMCA Legacy Award was created in 2021 and proudly presented by YPN Chapter 41. This award recognizes a YMCA professional who has chosen the YMCA as a lifetime career and has demonstrated excellence in their chosen field. Nominations for each year's awards are taken in late summer.
Email Aaron Schmidt for Details
Previous award recipients:
2021: Linda Daley & Peg Loomis
2022: Rick Cullen, Sandy Atkins, Kay Nord
2023: Danielle Englebert, Denice Nugent
2024: Steve Fox, Sue Pawlowski, Kathy Westphal
