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Sandy Morander, YMCA President & CEO
Announces Resignation After 38 Years of Service
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SAN ANTONIO (JUNE 29, 2022)
Following a highly successful 38-year career, Sandy Morander has announced her retirement and resignation as the YMCA of Greater San Antonio’s President and CEO, effective December 2022. She has played a critical role in the development and success of our YMCA and has served as a powerful and contributing community leader.
She began her career at the Dallas YMCA, moved to the Northern York County YMCA in Biddeford, Maine, and transitioned to the Boston Y Association. Before moving to San Antonio, she served as the Vice President of Program Development at the YMCA of Greater Boston. Sandy joined the YMCA of Greater San Antonio team as President and CEO in 2011, bringing strength in programming and partnerships. During her 11 years of dedicated service at the YMCA of Greater San Antonio, Sandy has been involved in many significant accomplishments, including:
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Expansion
- During her tenure, several new facilities opened under her leadership including the Y Living Center, Thousand Oaks Family YMCA, Walzem Family YMCA, Harvey E. Najim Family YMCA, and The New Boerne Family YMCA location. The Mays Stone Oak branch was converted into a sports performance training center and YMCA Roberts Ranch, a 1,200-acre ranch outside of Comfort, TX opened to the community with a vision for Education, Research and Nature preserve.
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Partnerships & Programming
- Other expansion projects with community partners included a partnership with the City of Schertz on the first indoor aquatics center in the area and the Cibolo Family YMCA opened in partnership with the City of Cibolo, including the Cibolo Youth Sports Center and later the Cibolo Miracle Field Project. In partnership with the City of San Antonio, the Mays Family YMCA at Potranco opened attached to a San Antonio Public Library. Sports fields and pavilion space were also added. The Y partnered with Resolute Health Hospital to open a new New Braunfels Family YMCA location.
- Over 5,800 total individuals have been served in Y health intervention programs including the Y Living, and the Diabetes Prevention Program. The Y also partnered with the City of San Antonio to host Síclovía, the largest bi-annual free community event focused on health and wellness that has had over 1 million participants since its inception.
- The Y’s Youth and Government program, a youth-led civic engagement program that partnered with local government officials was Re-established.
- The Y partnered with United Way to create the Power Scholars program designed to tackle summer learning loss and with Roy Maas Youth Alternatives to designate Safe Places for young people needing immediate help due to family problems, abuse, or homelessness.
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COVID Response
- During the government-mandated six-month shutdown, Sandy led the efforts to provide critical needs such as childcare for essential workers, free food for the youth, emergency food boxes, remote learning, Wi-Fi access points at all branches, and senior check-up phone calls, and an emergency respite center.
- Weekly free distribution sites across four YMCA locations distributed over 710,450 lbs of food to 13,461 families, including a new site with a military family focus in partnership with the San Antonio Food Bank. These services continue to this day.
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Sandy’s experience, attitude, and aptitude put our YMCA on a growth trajectory where we were able to impact more people in our community by opening new facilities, expanding our partnerships, and venturing into new areas of programming. While we are sad to see Sandy go, the Board also understands that we were lucky to benefit from 11 years of her leadership. We also want to assure our community that we have a good process in place to find a new leader who will serve our community with the same passion as Sandy did.
- Manish Kapoor, Board Chair of YMCA of Greater San Antonio
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With 12 branches, 3 Early Learning Centers, one healthy living center, a nature preserve and ranch, and over 60 after-school sites throughout six counties, the Y connects, invites, and engages more than 80,000 individuals a year to build stronger communities.
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Sandy’s passion extends far beyond the Y. She actively participates in several community organizations, including the Mayor’s Fitness Council, the Diabetes Prevention Coalition, Excel Beyond the Bell, the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, the Metro Health Community Advisory Task Force, and served as past Chair of the Nonprofit Council. She was named a Walk of Honor Inductee with the Texas Diabetes Institute and received the Community Leadership Award from the Health Collaborative.
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Our mission and focus on mind, body, and spirit have never been more relevant than today. Pre-pandemic, we did amazing things but had to step up in new ways. We took this opportunity to focus on a transformational plan of sustainability, innovation, and health.
- Sandy Morander, YMCA President and CEO
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Sandy has equally engaged in National YMCA efforts by serving as a YMCA Professional Network Member, the Talent and Knowledge Management Advisory Board Chair, and the Texas State Alliance and as a Y Retirement Fund Trustee. She has also served as Chair of the YUSA past Strategic Planning CEO Advisory Committee and as a board member of the Planning Committee for the YMCA of North America, which is made of the top 60 Y’s in the US and Canada.
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The Board will quickly initiate our search for the next CEO of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio. Our CEO Transition Committee will leverage resources available to us through the YMCA of the USA to execute a formal search process and will consider local, regional, and nationwide candidates, including both YMCA-affiliated and non-affiliated leaders. As was the case when Sandy was selected 11 years ago through a similar process, our next CEO will be tasked with boldly leading our organization with a focus on sustained positive impacts on children, families, and our broader community. We intend to name the next CEO by the end of 2022.
- Brad McDonald, Board Member and Chair of the Transition Committee
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She and her husband Ron plan to start a new chapter with a family consulting business, The Morander Group, which will enable them to continue working in their passion fields while creating more time with family and friends.
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About the YMCA of Greater San AntonioFor 146+ years, the YMCA of Greater San Antonio has worked to build a stronger community. The Y is one of the nation's leading nonprofits strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. With its doors open to all, the Y listens and responds to the community's most critical social needs, ensuring that everyone has the chance to learn, grow and thrive, regardless of age, income, ability, ethnicity, or faith. To learn more, visit www.ymcasatx.org.
For inquiries, please contact:Shannon Gowen, Sr. Dir. of Mission Advancement & Communications
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