YMCA OF SOUTH HAMPTON ROADS NAMES ANTHONY WALTERS AS NEW PRESIDENT, CEO

26 August 2019
A photo of Anthony Walters, just after being selected as the new President and CEO of the YMCA of South Hampton Roads

ANTHONY WALTERS Brings Nearly 20 Years of YMCA Experience to Organization

Chesapeake, Virginia, August 26, 2019— The YMCA of South Hampton Roads has named Anthony Walters as its new President and Chief Executive Officer, effective December 2, 2019. Selected by the Y’s Board of Directors, following a three-month search, Walters will succeed Billy George, who will enter retirement after over 44 years of loyal YMCA service. In his new role, Walters will be responsible for continuing to position the Y as a non-profit leader committed to youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.

“I am very excited that Anthony will be our next CEO and look forward to working with him in his new role,” said Terrie Edwards, Chair, Board of Directors for the YMCA of South Hampton Roads. “His passion for the Y, his commitment to partnering with the communities that we serve, and his skill in leading and developing strong teams, will enable him to build upon the solid foundation that Billy George has laid over the past seven years. Anthony is a strategic thinker who listens well and leads with conviction. He has the full support of our Board of Directors, and we look forward to working with him as our next CEO.”

“Growing up in Wilmington, Delaware, the Y was a daily refuge for me. I played basketball there frequently with my friends, developed my confidence, sharpened my athletic skill set, and gained an understanding of the importance of a healthy lifestyle. And now, after nearly a 20-year career with the Y movement, I have been given the opportunity to lead an organization with which I am deeply connected. I am blessed,” said Walters.

Walters currently serves as the Chief Strategy Officer at the YMCA of South Hampton Roads. In his current role, he has led hundreds of volunteers to over 250,000 hours of volunteerism to benefit causes of community outside of the walls of local YMCAs. Walters also notes that one of his more gratifying accomplishments in his current role is the growth and expansion efforts for the YMCA of South Hampton Roads through mergers with the YMCA of Portsmouth and the YMCA of South Boston/Halifax County. Prior to his time with the YMCA of South Hampton Roads, Walters worked for the YMCA of Greater Charlotte, and even spent time as a high school English teacher with Durham Public Schools. Walters holds a bachelor’s degree from Norfolk State University, is a TowneBank Leadership Alliance Board Member, a member of Norfolk State University’s Foundation Board, a member of Virginia Wesleyan University’s President’s Council, President of the Norfolk Alumni Chapter of the Save Our Youth Foundation, Civic Leadership Institute Class of 2020, and a proud member of the Norfolk Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. He is an active community stakeholder focused on the Y’s cause to strengthen community.

Walters’ hope as the incoming CEO is that the Y is regarded as one of the most important places for neighbors to connect and engage with one another, in an environment that has the ability to change lives.


ABOUT THE YMCA OF SOUTH HAMPTON ROADS
The YMCA of South Hampton Roads is a nonprofit, community-based health and human services organization that serves over 250,000 children and families throughout Coastal Virginia, Northeastern North Carolina and as west as South Boston/Halifax County in Virginia. More than 30% of those families receive financial assistance through the Open Doors program, whose funding is made available by the generosity of donors, helping them achieve their full potential in spirit, mind and body. The Y’s doors are open to people of all ages, backgrounds, abilities and incomes. ymcashr.org

 
ABOUT THE Y

The Y is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Across the U.S., 2,700 Ys engage 22 million men, women and children – regardless of age, income or background – to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the nation’s health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. Anchored in more than 10,000 communities, the Y has the long-standing relationships and physical presence not just to promise, but to deliver, lasting personal and social change. ymca.net