Ozarks Regional YMCA CEO to retire

Ozarks Regional YMCA’s CEO plans to retire this fall after five years on the job.

Steve Gimenez, who started as CEO in July 2013 and has worked for the YMCA nationwide for more than 35 years, is scheduled to retire Oct. 1, according to a news release.

“I could ask for no better place or YMCA in which to conclude my career than within the Ozarks Regional YMCA as its CEO,” Gimenez said in the release. “I am proud of our accomplishments and leave confident that the Y has a stable financial base from which to grow in the future. I am looking forward to the next phase of my life of spending more time with my new grandchild and my aging parents.”

Prior to joining the Ozarks Regional YMCA, Gimenez worked as senior vice president and chief operating officer of the Florida-based YMCA of Greater Miami.

Ozarks Regional YMCA ranked second this year on Springfield Business Journal’s list of the area’s largest nonprofit organizations. The nonprofit reported a $10.5 million operating budget and 642 employees. It also reported $900,000 in funds raised locally during 2017.

At the local YMCA in 2013, Gimenez succeeded 11-year executive Brad Toft.

The Ozarks Regional YMCA’s board will work with the YMCA of the USA to conduct a national search for Gimenez’s successor, according to the release.