Article published October 14, 2009
Perrysburg Y director takes post in Florida
Local CEO's in-law to lead 4 branches
By JC REINDL
BLADE STAFF WRITER
The head of Perrysburg's YMCA branch and daughter-in-law of Y chief Robert Alexander is leaving to take an executive position at a larger YMCA system in Florida.
Jody Alexander, executive director of the Fort Meigs Center for Health Promotion since about 2002, is to depart by the end of October, said Todd Tibbits, senior vice president of operations for the YMCA & JCC of Greater Toledo. On Nov. 9, she is to start as group vice president of the Central Florida YMCA, supervising four branches in suburban Orlando, Mr. Tibbits said.
"She decided to make the move with her family a few weeks ago or so," he said. "It's actually an incredible opportunity for her."
The Central Florida YMCA claims 27 locations and reported a budget of nearly $65 million in 2008, or nearly twice that of the Toledo YMCA. Mr. Tibbits said the Florida Y tried to recruit Ms. Alexander more than a year ago, but the Toledo Y persuaded her to stay with help from a pay increase for more responsibilities.
But more recently, she began having second thoughts.
"I just think that as she evaluated the opportunity [in Florida], it just seemed like the right timing and it felt right for her family," Mr. Tibbits said.Ms. Alexander, whose $97,355 annual salary makes her the Toledo Y's highest-paid branch director, did not respond to requests for comment yesterday.
The Central Florida YMCA also did not return calls.
Ms. Alexander is the daughter-in-law of Robert Alexander, the Toledo Y's president and chief executive officer, and is married to his son, Joshua Alexander. The YMCA under Robert Alexander has in recent months faced increased scrutiny of its hiring practices in regards to family members.
While Robert Alexander's annual base salary of $270,357 makes him the highest-paid president/CEO of all YMCA systems in Ohio, he is outshined in central Florida by the CEO of Jody Alexander's new Y, who made nearly $340,000 a year in 2007, according to IRS reports.
Ms. Tibbits said that Ms. Alexander received a $11,669, 14 percent pay hike last year when she also became the southwest district vice president and responsible for the direct supervision of executive directors at the Anthony Wayne Community YMCA and Wolf Creek YMCA.
Her Fort Meigs branch in Perrysburg is considered the flagship of the Toledo system and reports the largest membership base, with 4,400 membership units representing more than 13,400 members.
"She is going to be an incredible loss to this organization in terms of leadership," Mr. Tibbits said.
The local Y will begin advertising nationally to fill the post. In the meantime, they will shuffle existing staff to fill the job. The national search will not rule out an internal candidate, officials said.
Contact JC Reindl at:
jreindl@theblade.com
or 419-724-6065.
Permanent Link
|
|
 |
|
Search
advertisement
