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YMCA Tauranga Announces New CEO
YMCA Tauranga Announces New CEO
The YMCA Tauranga
is pleased to announce the appointment of Ric Balfour as its
next Chief Executive Officer. He will take over from Amy S.
Thaler, who will be leaving in January to pursue new
challenges in her home country of the USA.
Bringing
over 35 years of forestry, outdoor recreation and
environmental education to the role, Ric is passionate about
helping local communities, clubs and organizations thrive in
their efforts to get kids and families actively engaged in
the outdoors.
Announcing Ric’s appointment,
President Kevin Kerr explained that the YMCA Tauranga’s
Board undertook an extensive search to ensure a suitable
candidate was found.
“We received applications from
all around the world,” Kerr said. “In hindsight we
needn’t have looked further than Tauranga to find the
right candidate. Ric’s passion for his projects,
enthusiasm for his work, and ideas for the YMCA came shining
through. We believe he will build on the work Amy did
during her tenure and take the Y to even greater
heights.”
Ric comes to the YMCA having been the TECT
All Terrain Park Manager for Western Bay of Plenty District
Council since January 2008. Prior to that he lived in
Oregon, USA, for 19 years where he worked with state
agencies, local government and small non-profits with great
success. As Director of Forestry Education for the Oregon
Forest Resources Institute, Ric coordinated statewide
environmental education programmes, teacher training, and
natural resource training programmes for landowners and
professionals. As Oregon’s first Public Use Coordinator,
he was responsible for establishing recreation, education,
and interpretation programmes across 850,000 acres of Oregon
Department of Forestry lands.
Departing CEO Amy
Thaler says she is thrilled to be handing the Y over to Ric.
“I have worked hard over the last four years to position
the YMCA Tauranga for the long haul and Ric’s appointment
is the icing on the cake really. I can now leave with a
clear conscience knowing that more great things are on the
horizon with Ric at the helm.”
Ric explains that he
is looking forward to starting his new role. “I’m so
excited about leading an organisation of the YMCA’s
calibre and about exploring new ways to make it the nexus
between community, education and recreation in the
region.”
A resident of Welcome Bay, Ric lives with
his wife Holly and two daughters Fiona (10) and Lillian (7)
and will start at the Y in March of 2012.
About
YMCA Tauranga
To us, it’s all about showing your
spirit. Ask yourself, when was the last time you showed
yours?
Most people hold tightly onto theirs, often too
shy to release it. Some people let their spirit run wild,
and sometimes have to rein it in- and we meet tonnes of
people who have just never been shown how to find theirs.
You also get the occasional person who reckons they are just
saving their spirit for later.
At the YMCA we work
with people to help find their spirit, so they can make the
most of their experience and unleash their potential on the
world around
them.
ends
YMCA
Building strong kids, strong families and strong communities
The Y has been in New Zealand for over 168 years, building strong kids, strong families and strong communities. There are 48 Y centres across New Zealand.
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