
Employer For Diversity
Forbes magazine has featured the YMCA as part of its inaugural America's Best Employers for Diversity list. The list rates the top 250 diverse employers across all American industries. The Y placed 15th overall and topped the list of community-based organizations.
“The Y is committed to becoming an even more diverse and inclusive organization at all levels to better reflect, engage and build bridges among all communities we serve,” said Lynda Gonzales-Chavez, senior vice president and chief diversity officer, YMCA of the USA.
Currently, YMCA throughout the country employ more than 250,000 people to serve its 22 million members through a network of 2,700 locations in 10,000 communities across the nation. The figure includes full-time, exempt staff, full-time non-exempt, part-time and seasonal staff.
“I grew up in the Y, not just professionally, so it’s hard to separate just the growth in my career. I attended our Y after school care and summer camps, played Y sports, and started as a volunteer coach when I was in high school – the Y has been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember. As my professional career has grown over the last 15 years, I have been very lucky to have supervisors and mentors who have accepted me, supported me, and challenged me to continue to grow and develop into the kind of leader I hope to be for our younger staff. I hope to inspire other queer staff to pursue a career in the Y and help to make the Y an organization that truly accepts, values them, and supports their professional development.”
—Eliza Bryant, Y staff