Todd Latta
CEO/Executive Director
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- Donations & Fundraising
- Community Relations, Collaborations and Partnerships
- Financial Management of the YMCA
- Statewide & National YMCA Initiatives
- Maintenance and Day to Day Operational Concerns
Todd has worked for the YMCA for more than 15 years. The Y is where he learned to swim, joined his first wrestling team, earned a black belt, spent time with family and built a lifetime of relationships. He says that his fondest childhood memories happened at the Y. Todd has two decades of experience as a personal trainer and is a certified trainer for the YMCA of the USA in the areas of personal training, fiscal management, and intro to leadership. He has bachelor’s degrees in Not-For-Profit Leadership and Human Resources, and a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership. Outside of the Y, Todd enjoys spending time with family, music and exercising. Todd has the pleasure of seeing the impact that the Y has on the lives of others, and the opportunity to create programs that changes lives.
Jill Gradeless
Chief Operations Officer
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- Dance
- Music
- Group Exercise
- Personal Training
Jill has worked at the Y since 1999. She has taught water aerobics, swim lessons, silver sneakers, ballroom, various fitness programs, personal training and dance at the Y. Jill started the Y school of dance in 2003 with 7 students. To date, there are over 220 students in the dance program which includes ballet, tap, jazz, clogging, lyrical, and hip hop. She started the Y School of Dance Competition Teams in 2014. Jill is passionate about quality programming, engaging kids and families and providing opportunities for all. In her free time, she enjoys the outdoors, decorating, traveling and lots of family time with her husband, 5 kids and grandchild.
Pam Santos
Business Operations Director
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- Membership Information
- Financial Assistance
- Banking and Payment Information
- Birthday Parties and Rentals
Pam has worked at the Parkview Huntington Family YMCA since 2000. Her responsibilities include business operations and member services. She also specializes in Quickbooks and Daxko Operations systems for the YMCA. Pam loves spending time with her family and enjoying outdoor activities. Her favorite aspect of the YMCA is that the staff is wonderful to work with and the members are amazing. She says, “The Y has helped me blossom in my career and I am so thankful for the opportunity to help the Huntington community.”
Vanessa Macias-Hannie
Director of Healthy Living
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- Silver Sneakers and Active Older Adults
- New Member Orientation
- Bible Study
- Book Club
- Lunch and Learn
- Rock Steady Boxing
Vanessa has worked at the Parkview Huntington Family YMCA since November 2008. Her areas of responsibility include welcoming new and prospective YMCA members and helping them connect to the programs and classes that fit their passion. She also has been involved in Fitness programming for several years, including personal training and group exercise, and Silver Sneakers. Vanessa is a certified coach of Rock Steady Boxing, a program to help fight against Parkinson’s disease. Vanessa has a degree in Exercise Science from Huntington University, and served as a physical therapy exercise specialist for one year before coming to the Y. She enjoys running and time with her family, and loves the flexibility and relationship-building that are a part of her YMCA career.
Sarah Kowalski
Aquatics Director
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- Swim Lessons
- Swim Teams
- Pool Rentals
- Pool Schedules
- Lifeguard Training & Employment
Sarah began swimming on the Huntington YMCA swim team at the age of 9. She went on to swim in high school where she broke four records, three of which still stand today. She attended college and obtained associate degrees at IPFW and IVY Tech. Sarah began her career at the Y as a lifeguard and swim Instructor at the age of 15. After college she worked as a swim coach and assistant to the Aquatics Director for five years. She is a certified Lifeguard and Water Safety Instructor. In her free time, Sarah enjoys water skiing, hiking, and spending time with her husband and four children. Sarah has witnessed the Y impact so many children in the pool by teaching them to swim and hopes to continue teaching that life skill to our community for years to come.
Karen Teusch
Director of Early Childhood Education
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- All things related to preschool
- Play & Learn child care
Karen has been working at the Huntington YMCA since October 2003 in the Play & Learn child care program and as a Preschool Teacher. The 2018-19 school year was Karen’s first year as Preschool Coordinator and she has since moved into the Director position. In the past Karen also worked at the front desk for 2 1/2 years. Karen said, “The most rewarding part of my job is seeing my preschoolers grow and learn over the course of a school year. Their smiles as they come into the classroom, and their excitement about learning is what drives me to be my best.” In her free time and when she is not at the Y, Karen enjoys spending time with her family, having lunch with friends, watching favorite TV shows, walking and vacationing on the lake in upstate Wisconsin.
Jody Alsman
Wellness Director
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- Group Exercise
- Personal Training
- New Member Orientation
As Wellness Director, Jody oversees all group fitness classes and personal trainers at our YMCA. As a group exercise instructor, Jody has taught a wide variety of classes for over 12 years. Jody enjoys being able to lead and coach YMCA members of all ages; from elementary-aged swimmers, to teens and adults in high-intensity fitness classes, to active older adults in functional fitness classes. In the past she has led Body Pump, Aqua Stand Up (for kids, adults, and seniors), Vinyasa Flow Yoga, Silver Sneakers Classic, and Silver Sneakers Yoga classes. Jody has been a swim coach for our YMCA youth Stars Swim Club and swam competitively herself from age 5 to 18. She is certified to teach Rock Steady, a boxing-style workout program designed to help individuals fight Parkinson’s Disease. Jody is a former elementary teacher who graduated from Ball State University. Her passion is exercise, but also likes to garden, paint murals, and camp out with her two children.
Joy Koch
Director of Development and Marketing
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- Annual Campaign and fund development
- Major Gifts and Heritage Club
- Program sponsorships
- Banner sponorships
Joy began working at the YMCA in 2019. She and her family have been members for nearly 15 years and the Y is where their two daughters (Kayla and Karmen) learned how to swim and got their start in sports programming. As a kid, Joy learned how to swim at her local YMCA in Van Wert, Ohio. Joy first came to Huntington as a college student where she was an accomplished athlete on the volleyball and basketball courts while receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. Prior to working at the Y Joy was most recently employed at the United Way of Huntington County. When not working, Joy and her husband, John love spending time with their family, enjoy boating and sporting events. Joy enjoys serving the Huntington community through her work at the YMCA as she builds relationships with the Y community and members, works to promote and market the vast array of programming and guides the fund development for current work and future growth.
David Pearson
Property Director
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- Building maintenance
- Contractor communications
Dave began working at the YMCA in 2019. As Property Director he provides professional leadership to the day-to-day operation of our 57,000 square foot facility. Dave’s daughters have been active in the dance program, Lauryne since 2009 and Lienna since 2013. His daughter, Lauryne and son, Landen also learned how to swim at the Y with Landon active in Y soccer for several years. Dave graduated from Purdue Fort Wayne in 1998 with a degree in Organization Leadership and Supervision. He began his professional career at Huntington University where he worked as Maintenance Technician; worked at Manchester University as their Building Systems and Automation Manager and for Parkview Huntington Hospital as a Facilities Engineer. Dave is excited to utilize his skills to help make the Huntington YMCA a clean and safe environment for members and support all programming offered. Outside of the Y Dave enjoys spending time with his family and being outdoors. His favorite aspect of the YMCA is working in his local community alongside a talented and caring staff. Dave is also interested in the history of the YMCA and its impact on our community.
Jeff Finicle
Sports Director
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- Youth & Adult Sports Programming
As Sports Director, Jeff oversees all aspects of sports programming here at the Y. Jeff is a graduate of Indiana Wesleyan University with a bachelor in sports management and a minor in coaching. After graduation, he spent a year teaching physical education and coaching football at Southwood High School. He is excited to take on the sports director role for the Y because he knows the impact that activity and sport can have on youth development. His favorite thing about sports is the team cohesion aspect that sports offer to people of all ages.
Michelle Weatherford
Youth Development Director
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- School Break Camps
- Middle School After School Program
- Before and After School Care (Roanoke)
- Homeschool Enrichment Program
Michelle has worked at the Y since 2018. She began in Play and Learn and you may have seen her bright smile welcoming you from the front desk in the mornings. She has recently undertaken the adventure of being the Youth Development Director overseeing the youth programs including Day Camps, Homeschool Enrichment, Before and After School opportunities in addition teaching preschool at the Roanoke site. Michelle learned to swim at “the old Y” and has loved various classes here at the new Y including Yoga and Parent Tot swim classes in particular. Michelle and her husband, Chris, have four children who have participated in dance, swimming, homeschool P.E., soccer, and basketball. In her spare time, she enjoys music, gardening, reading books and hiking.
Christy Knecht
Music School Coordinator
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- Music Lessons
Christy grew up in Huntington and took her music lessons in North Manchester. She grew up playing and performing in this and neighboring counties and began teaching violin at age 13. Christy has performed with area orchestras since that time and leads a string quartet (The Kil-so-quah quartet). With this quartet she performis at weddings, receptions and other special occasions. The YMCA School of Music is the result of dreams, hard work and the patience of many at the Parkview Huntington YMCA. Christy began the Y School of Music in January of 2016 and it has grown each session. As of 2023 there are six teachers and over 30 students. Christy is excited to continue offering lessons in piano, violin, voice, guitar and cello and group string.