YMCA of Northwest North Carolina Names Donna Rodgers as President and CEO
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — The YMCA of Northwest North Carolina has announced that Donna Rodgers has been selected as the organization’s next President and CEO, becoming the first woman to serve as President and CEO in the association’s history. Rodgers, who has served as the YMCA’s Interim Chief Executive Officer since May 2026, has been a member of the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina leadership team for more than 22 years.
Since joining the organization in 2004 as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, she has held progressively more senior leadership roles spanning finance, operations, and organizational strategy, most recently serving as Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer.
"Donna has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina, our staff, and the communities we serve,” said Ashley Kohlrus, Chair of the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina Board of Directors. “She brings the experience and leadership this role demands, a deep understanding of the organization, and a genuine passion for our mission. We are thrilled to have her lead our Y into its next chapter.”
The appointment follows a comprehensive national search led by YMCA of the USA, the North Carolina Alliance of YMCAs, and a committee of YMCA board and community leaders.
“We approached this search with an open mind and a clear responsibility to identify the strongest leader for the future of our YMCA,” said David Zimmer, Board Member and Co-Chair of the YMCA’s CEO Search Committee. “Donna distinguished herself through her strategic vision, operational expertise, and understanding of the YMCA’s opportunities ahead to serve our communities. Her long, proven history with the YMCA is an incredible asset, and her clear vision for our organization’s future made her the right choice to serve as our next CEO.”
Throughout her more than two decades with the YMCA, Rodgers has helped guide the organization through periods of significant growth, complex financial challenges and major capital initiatives. She played a key role in securing $8 million in New Markets Tax Credits for a major renovation project at the YMCA REACH Center at Winston Lake, managed tax-exempt bond issuances in 2014 and 2021, and led the financing and acquisition of the Robinhood Road Family YMCA during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since that acquisition, the branch has generated more than $2.5 million in operating surplus.
Rodgers also helped lead the association through the unprecedented financial disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, securing more than $6 million in emergency funding to support the YMCA’s financial sustainability. Throughout her career at the Y, she has overseen enterprise-wide initiatives involving finance, human resources, technology and membership operations, including major system implementations.
Under Rodgers’ tenure, the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina has experienced significant organizational growth. Since she joined the association in 2004, operating revenues have increased from approximately $25 million to $42 million, while net assets have more than doubled from $28 million to $57 million.
“I am deeply honored to be selected as the next CEO of this great organization,” says Rodgers. “I look forward to working with our amazing staff team and volunteers to further deepen our impact in all the communities we serve. What a privilege to get to do this work every day – helping all people reach their God-given potential in spirit, mind and body!”
Rodgers’ career combines extensive financial and operational leadership with a longstanding commitment to volunteerism and community service. Before joining the YMCA, she held financial leadership positions with Gilbarco/Veeder-Root and Greensboro Associates, Inc., where she served as Vice President of Finance & Treasurer and provided administrative oversight of employee benefit trusts with combined assets exceeding $1.1 billion. She began her career with Price Waterhouse in Winston-Salem in audit and tax.
A Certified Public Accountant and Certified Employee Benefit Specialist, Rodgers earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, cum laude, from Virginia Tech University. She was named an Organizational Leader by YMCA of the USA in 2021 and served for a decade on the YUSA CFO Roundtable. She currently serves on the national YMCA Employee Benefits Management Committee.
Her community leadership includes serving as President and Treasurer of the Rotary Club of Kernersville, as an Audit Committee member for the Ronald McDonald House and Forsyth Futures, and in numerous leadership roles at Main Street United Methodist Church in Kernersville.
As President and CEO, Rodgers will lead an association serving communities across eight counties in Northwest North Carolina, with a focus on strengthening the YMCA’s impact, developing staff talent, cultivating relationships with donors and community partners, engaging volunteers and pursuing sustainable growth.
Rodgers succeeds Darryl Head, who departed the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina earlier this year after two decades of leadership with the association to become President and CEO of the YMCA of the First Coast in Jacksonville, Florida.
Rodgers and her husband, Brad, reside in Kernersville. They have two adult children and enjoy spending time with family and traveling.
About the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina
When the first YMCA was established in 1844 in London, England, its mission was to promote positive Christian values and healthy behaviors and activities. Today, the YMCA movement has spread to 124 countries around the world, supporting and influencing the lives of 21 million men, women and children of all backgrounds. Our local YMCA association has been serving Winston-Salem and the surrounding areas since 1888. We have created a tradition of enhancing the lives of people in our community through an ever-growing list of programs and opportunities. Learn more at ymcanwnc.org.