News

The YMCA of the Cayman Islands welcomes Eric Ellsworth as its new Chief Executive Officer. Selected by the Y’s Board of Directors following a multi-month search, Ellsworth succeeds Gillian Smith who stepped down as Executive Director at the end of 2020. In his new role Ellsworth will be responsible for YMCA’s operational growth through programme expansion, member recruitment and retention, and community collaborations.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors of the YMCA, I am excited to welcome Eric to the YMCA of the Cayman Islands,” said David Watler, Y Board Chairman. “He brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of building and developing a number of YMCAs. We look forward to having him lead our organisation as we continue to grow and develop our programmes, facilities and employees to build healthier and stronger communities within our islands. The Board also wishes to extend its thanks and best wishes to Gillian Smith for her leadership in providing a number of innovative programmes and services to meet the needs of the Islands’ youth and families throughout the pandemic in 2020.”

“I am thrilled to have been chosen as the new CEO of the YMCA of the Cayman Islands,” said Mr. Ellsworth. “It is a wonderful thing to follow great leaders who have helped this YMCA to grow so quickly over the past nine years. My hope is that my decades of experience in YMCA work will enable me to help the YMCA of the Cayman Islands increase its capacity to serve all people. In my short time here, I have found the people of the Cayman Islands to be uniquely caring and pure of heart. I look forward to all that we will be able to accomplish together in this beautiful place. I also hope everyone will join us in our pursuit of building spirit, mind and body.”

Ellsworth comes to the Y with 42 years of experience in the YMCA movement, most recently serving as the President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis for nearly 13 years before retiring in early 2019. While there Ellsworth achieved numerous successes, including expanding the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis from six to 12 locations and doubling its membership base; launching a coalition to reduce the burden of chronic disease and develop a culture of health in Central Indiana; and opening five full-day YMCA Early Learning Centres to better meet the need for early childhood education in the community. Ellsworth holds a bachelor’s in science degree from Western Kentucky University and a master’s degree in organisational development from Springfield College.

The Y is currently in the final stages of its annual caring fundraising campaign and the new CEO has already jumped in and spent some time meeting with board members and donors to help make the campaign a success at a time when the work of the Y is more important than ever.