Chicago, March 31, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CHICAGO, (March 31, 2022)—YMCA of the USA (Y-USA) is pleased to announce the election of CiCi Rojas to a two-year term as Chair of the nonprofit’s National Board of Directors. Ms. Rojas, the first Hispanic Board Chair in Y-USA's history, has served on the Y-USA Board since 2016 and chaired its International, Diversity and Inclusion Committee from 2019-2021. As Board Chair, Ms. Rojas will provide leadership to the 25-member board, which sets strategic direction and policy to guide the Y’s work to strengthen community by connecting all people to their potential, purpose, and each other.
Ms. Rojas has served on the Board of Directors of the YMCA of Greater Kansas City since 2013, including a term as Board Chair from 2018-2020. She also is a member of the Executive Committee of the World Alliance of YMCAs.
An accomplished C-suite executive-turned-entrepreneur, Ms. Rojas has built enterprises in for-profit environments and for economic, political and social change. Since 2017, she has co-led Tico Productions and Tico Sports LLC, a company established by her and her husband in 2012. The venture is a full-service, multimedia production and bilingual marketing agency that developed a Spanish-language broadcast and community engagement platform for professional sports teams, including the Kansas City Chiefs. Ms. Rojas, who is a Kansas City native and lives there today, also serves on Boards for Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino and USA Volleyball, a sport that was invented at the Y.
In addition, the Y-USA Board elects:
- Chair-Elect: George Leis, President and COO, Montecito Bank and Trust
- Treasurer: Ruben Dario Taborda, Healthcare/Diversity and Inclusion Executive
- Secretary: John Baird, Ph.D., Principal Partner, ExecutivEdge of Silicon Valley
- Immediate Past Board Chair: Pamela Davies, Ph.D., President Emerita and Professor of Strategy, Queens University of Charlotte
- New Board Members: Tina Freese Decker, President and CEO, BHSH System; Lucria Ortiz, J.D., President and CEO, YMCA of Yonkers; Anthony Walters, President and CEO, YMCA of South Hampton Roads; Jeremy Welland, Ph.D., Global Head of Data Science and Analytics, Google
- Kellogg School of Management’s (Northwestern University) Golub Capital Board Fellow: Margaret Connelly
- Current Board Members receiving term extensions: John Conley, Partner and Co-Founder, Gilliam Capital; Diane Dewbrey, Director, MBIA, Inc.; Liliana Gil Valletta, CEO and Co-Founder, CIEN+
“I am grateful to have joined an organization with such a diverse, dedicated and skilled board of directors,” said Suzanne McCormick, President and CEO, Y-USA. “Our board has been an incredible partner during my first seven months on the job, and I couldn’t be more excited to work with CiCi, the new board officers and the entire board to lead our organization forward. They all bring unique experiences and talents to their roles.”
Full bios and photos of Y-USA’s new National Board members are available upon request.
About the Y
Driven by its founding mission, the Y has served as a leading nonprofit committed to strengthening community for more than 175 years. The Y empowers everyone, no matter who they are or where they’re from, by ensuring access to resources, relationships, and opportunities for all to learn, grow and thrive. By bringing together people from different backgrounds, perspectives and generations, the Y’s goal is to improve overall health and well-being, ignite youth empowerment and demonstrate the importance of connections in and across 10,000 communities nationwide. Learn more at ymca.org.
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