Executive Team

Paul Vest, President and CEO
Tim Blenco, Chief Operating Officer
Jennifer Murphy, Chief Administrative Officer
MaryO Ratcliffe, Senior Vice President of Membership and Marketing
Kristen Aquino, Vice President of Financial Development
Melissa Wiedeman, Vice President of Operations, K-12 Childcare
Kevin Young, Vice President of Human Resources

Board of Directors

Thank you to our volunteers for giving their time, expertise, and experience to the YMCA and the community. Here are the 2023 Officers and Board of Directors for the YMCA of Western North Carolina.

Officers

Chair: Ben Hamrick
Past Chair: Joe Brumit
Treasurer: Robby Russell
Secretary: Kathy Guyette Palazzo

Committee Chairs

Development: Gary Foss
Facilities Visioning: Brian Walker
Finance: Robby Russell
Governance: Rick Lutovsky
Health Equity: Meg Ragland
Strategic Planning: Charles Frederick

Board Members

Amy Bibby, Office Managing Partner, CPA, Forvis
Joe Brumit, Owner and President, Brumit Development Company; Owner and CEO, Brumit Restaurant Group
John Bryant, Vice President, Workforce Development and Community Affairs, Pardee UNC Health Care 
Tracy Buchanan, President and CEO, CarePartners
Emilee Dickerson, Community Volunteer
Clark Duncan, Executive Director and Senior Vice President of Economic Development, Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce
Dan Field, General Manager, Pratt & Whitney
Gary Foss, Founder and President (retired), GFoss Consulting, LLC
Charles Frederick, Market President, TD Bank
Lara Glass, President, The Glass Foundation
John Gossett, President, A-B Tech Community College
Ben Hamrick, Partner and CEO, DMJPS PLLC
Bill Hathaway, CEO, Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC)
Kevin Hefner, Area President, First Horizon
Terri King, Owner, Coldwell Banker King
Elizabeth Lima, Chief, Whole Health Service, Asheville VA Medical Center
Rick Lutovsky, President and CEO (retired), Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, Community Volunteer
Kathy Guyette Palazzo, Chief Nurse Executive, Strongline
John Pierce, Vice Chancellor for Budget and Finance (retired), UNC Asheville
Meg Ragland, President and Co-Founder, Plum Print
Jennifer Reed, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, Buncombe County Schools
Robby Russell, Commercial Relationship Manager, Senior Vice President, First National Bank
J.C. Sadler, Vice President of Marketing and Community Affairs, Mission Hospital
Shantelle Simpson, CEO, Appalachian Mountain Community Health Center
Brian Walker, Vice President, Vannoy Construction