YMCA of the Capital Area’s new CEO Sean Elliott is settling into both his role and the Zachary community with ambitious plans for growth and an eye toward expanding volunteer opportunities. Just 16 days into the job, the seasoned leader with 25 years of YMCA experience is already charting a course for deeper community engagement.

Finding Home in Zachary

After 7 years as CEO of The Greater Green Bay YMCA in Wisconsin, Elliott chose Baton Rouge specifically as "a great place to continue to raise my family." His first impression of Zachary has been overwhelmingly positive.

Elliott and his family are making Zachary their permanent home, drawn by the community's welcoming spirit. 

"It feels like it's a community that has a pulse and takes care of each other," he said. "That's the word I keep going back to, is caring…It seems like the people really care about each other."

Volunteers: The Heart of Growth

One of Elliot's key priorities is expanding volunteer engagement, particularly among the area's growing population of active older adults. He sees this as an "untapped market" with enormous potential.

"There's so many people that still want to be involved in something good," he explained. "They don't necessarily want a full-time job and a lot of responsibility, but they could contribute meaningfully to the Y's mission.”

Drawing inspiration from hospital volunteer programs, he envisions expanded opportunities for community members to serve at front desks, assist with programs, and support daily operations. "A committed volunteer is worth gold, you're never going to get a commitment level much higher than that," he noted.

The Y is already a "volunteer led and volunteer driven organization at its core," but there's opportunity to return more fully to that foundation while serving Zachary's engaged community spirit.

Building on Success

The YMCA of the Capital Area  is already making a strong impact through programs like its swim education initiative with local schools, which teaches water safety to area children.

Elliott is particularly interested in expanding childcare services, noting "there's a need, a big need for that in the community." He also sees potential for better connecting existing programs like aquatics, sports, and after-school care under the membership umbrella.

His philosophy centers on connection and engagement. "I truly believe that we're in the business of serving people," Elliott said, emphasizing that "the number one reason people stay members of the YMCA: it's their friends are here."

A Place for Everyone

Elliott's guiding principle for the Y is simple, "No matter who you are, no matter how much money you make, no matter what background or political party or whatever it is, the Y  should be a place for everybody."

He continued, "You think about that, how many places can you say that about? In today's day and age there's not a lot of places where, you know, it's just about engaging with people who want to be around people."

With strategic planning set to begin in October involving board members, staff, and community leaders, the Y is positioning itself to better serve Zachary families while creating meaningful volunteer opportunities for residents who want to give back to their community.

"The biggest compliment I think I could get in 10 years is, you know what? The Y is just a great place to be," Elliott said—a vision that seems perfectly aligned with Zachary's caring community spirit.

Community members interested in volunteer opportunities can inquire at the Americana YMCA to learn how they can get involved and help make the Y an even greater place for all.