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University YMCA Archives · Leadership

Leadership

Since 1873 the University YMCA has been led by students, volunteers and staff together. These lists name the people who have held its four senior offices: president of the students, chair of the governing board, chair of the trustees who keep the endowment, and the senior staff officer. Open a list to see it.

Student presidents1873–today · 166 people

The YMCA began in 1873 as an association of students, and a student has led it every year since. The student president headed the Cabinet of student officers and committee chairs, and today leads the Student Board and sits on the Board of Governors’ executive committee. Some years had more than one; Peters lists them without saying why.

  1. 1873E. S. Steele
  2. 1873–74A. L. Dunning
  3. 1874–75C. G. Elliott
  4. 1875–76J. O. Baker
  5. 1876–77Ira O. BakerLater board chair
  6. 1877–78R. P. Colburn
  7. 1878–79C. G. Neelsey
  8. 1879–80W. A. Pepoon
  9. 1880–81James E. Armstrong
  10. 1881–82W. B. Carman
  11. 1882–83W. Sondericker
  12. 1883–84Samuel W. ParrLater board chair
  13. 1884–85George S. Bannister
  14. 1885–86E. L. Cantine
  15. 1886–87William D. Pence
  16. 1887–88W. R. Mitchell
  17. 1888–89A. D. Folger
  18. 1889–90C. A. Bowsher / N. H. Camp
  19. 1890–91Ulysses S. G. Plank
  20. 1891–92Cyrus D. McLane
  21. 1892–93Robert E. McCloy
  22. 1893–94William K. Yeakel
  23. 1894–95E. Stanford Hall
  24. 1895–96Warren E. DurstineLater general secretary
  25. 1896–97William A. Pepper
  26. 1897–98Edward F. Nickoley
  27. 1898–99James C. Bradley
  28. 1899–1900Harry A. Roberts
  29. 1900–01Percy A. Smith
  30. 1901–02Ralph Mather
  31. 1902–03Neil McMillan, Jr.Later general secretary
  32. 1903–04William A. McKnightLater general secretary
  33. 1904–05Edwin R. Smith
  34. 1905–06Russell N. Smith
  35. 1906–07William P. Wright
  36. 1907–08Edward L. Hall
  37. 1908–09Roger F. Little
  38. 1909–10C. Loren Harkness
  39. 1910–11Bryant Bannister
  40. 1911–12Ralph C. ScottLater general secretary
  41. 1912–13James A. Hunter
  42. 1913–14Louis A. Boettiger
  43. 1914–15Peter J. Nilsen
  44. 1915–16John W. Watson
  45. 1916–17Jesse Ward Nelson
  46. 1917–18Harry W. Gibson
  47. 1918–19Philip S. Westcott
  48. 1919–20David K. Malcolmson
  49. 1920–21Ambrose A. Arnold
  50. 1921–22Walter A. Mueller
  51. 1922–23Vernon W. Henry
  52. 1923–24Dr. Ernest R. Hilgard
  53. 1924–25Edmond G. Williamson
  54. 1925–26Corliss D. Anderson
  55. 1926–27Arthur M. Rubeck
  56. 1927–28Norman R. Miller
  57. 1928–29Dr. John R. Orndorf
  58. 1929–30Dr. Fred W. Rutherford
  59. 1930–31Paul C. Brines, Jr.
  60. 1931–32A. T. Mosher
  61. 1932–33Donald B. Black
  62. 1933–34James H. Lake
  63. 1934–35Frank Lawrence Seamans
  64. 1935–36Charles B. Younger
  65. 1936–37Robert R. Lauber
  66. 1937–38John A. Douglas
  67. 1938–39Richard E. Younggren
  68. 1939–40Louis A. Hauptfleisch
  69. 1940–41Dean Leeper
  70. 1941–42Robert J. Trobaugh
  71. 1942–43Loren W. Beal
  72. 1943–44Arthur R. Hall, Jr. / Forrest C. Orr
  73. 1944–45Adrian R. Wells
  74. 1945–46Ralph D. Dralle
  75. 1946–47Marion L. Beal
  76. 1947–48Hubert J. Wetzel
  77. 1948–49William W. Erwin
  78. 1949–50Robert L. Larson
  79. 1950–51Thomas Edwin Moore
  80. 1951–52Robert C. Lauchner
  81. 1952–53Richard L. Thies
  82. 1953–54Sidney A. Stutz
  83. 1954–55Walter W. Faster
  84. 1955–56G. William Howard III
  85. 1956–57Ronald S. Kareken
  86. 1957–58Ronald W. Maris
  87. 1958–59Thomas R. Chandler
  88. 1959–60David G. LindstromLater general director
  89. 1960–61Richard Hutchison
  90. 1961–62Robert F. Robinson / I. Waldner / William Sommerschield
  91. 1962–63John W. Gwinn
  92. 1963–64Dale Mueller / William A. Elder / Jerry Glashagel
  93. 1964–65Rick Harper
  94. 1965–66Larry Miller
  95. 1966–67C. John Anderson
  96. 1967–68Robert E. Marshall
  97. 1968–69George Anderson
  98. 1969–70John Herm
  99. 1970–71Dr. Robert E. Phillips
  100. 1971–72Steve B. Meyer
  101. 1972–73Dennis G. Petty
  102. 1973–74Kimball Anderson
  103. 1974–75David O’Holleran
  104. 1975–76David Van Metre
  105. 1976–77Glenn Halfacre
  106. 1977–78Greg Tissier
  107. 1978–79Marita Hawryluk Chiles
  108. 1979–80Vidya Patil / Barb Webber
  109. 1980–81John Thompson
  110. 1981–82Elizabeth Wakefield Winches
  111. 1982–83Rosanne Hinz / Bruce Tinkler
  112. 1983–84Zach Pitluck / Sue Soenksen / Jack Lavin
  113. 1984–85Sue Carlson / Kelly Day Wolf
  114. 1985–86Linda Biersach
  115. 1986–88Dan Mercer
  116. 1988–89Mike Mallon
  117. 1989–91Joseph ChamleyLater board chair
  118. 1991–92Carmen Andrews
  119. 1992–93Chirag Mehta
  120. 1993–94Anjali Bhat
  121. 1994–95Eric White / D. J. Dunn
  122. 1995–96D. J. Dunn / Steve Frankel
  123. 1996–97Monique Norington / Lisa Peraino
  124. 1997–98Michelle Green
  125. 1998–99Jon Dolle
  126. 1999–2000Jon Dolle
  127. 2000–01Ellie Kron
  128. 2001–02Ruxandra Costescu
  129. 2002–03Nick Fleege
  130. 2003–04Nick Fleege
  131. 2004–05Lori Kae Schwab
  132. 2005–06Paul Heiberger
  133. 2006–07Joe Teng
  134. 2007–08Ellen DahlkeLater board chair
  135. 2008–09Bethany Powers
  136. 2009–10Virginia Byrne
  137. 2010–11Jenna Prochaska / Becky Long
  138. 2011–12Grace Kyung / Laura Frasz
  139. 2012–13Allie Wojtowicz
  140. 2013–14Sally Feng
  141. 2014–15Nate Lawrence
  142. 2015–16Catherine Kemp / Benjamin Daniels
  143. 2016–17Lorenzo Grego
  144. 2017–18Mariana (Hannah) Gutierrez
  145. 2018–19Jackson Schroedter
  146. 2019–20Anna Vrioni
  147. 2020–21Allison Burke
  148. 2021–22Sydney Curts
  149. 2022–23Sydney Curts
  150. 2023–24Kev Murphy
  151. 2024–25Lily Rybka
  152. 2025–26Jacqueline Aguayo Sánchez
  153. 2026–27Ani Apresyan Current

Sources To 1997: Peters, The Promise of Association, pp. 177–178. From 1998: the Y’s 150th Anniversary program (2023), checked against board minutes, rosters, annual meeting programs and annual reports.

Chairs of the Board of Directors and Board of Governors1900–today · 53 people

The Board of Directors had general supervision of the Association’s work and raised its operating budget. It was renamed the Board of Governors in 1978. Peters’s list of its chairs begins with Thomas J. Burrill in 1900.

  1. 1900–13Thomas J. Burrill
  2. 1913–25Samuel W. ParrStudent president 1883–84
  3. 1925–26Ira O. BakerStudent president 1876–77
  4. 1926–28Albert J. Harno
  5. 1928–29Loring H. Provine
  6. 1929–30William L. Burlison
  7. 1930–31George P. Tuttle
  8. 1931–33Arthur B. Mays
  9. 1933–34Joseph C. Blair
  10. 1934–35George P. Tuttle
  11. 1935–38Charles M. Thompson
  12. 1938–43Arthur B. Mays
  13. 1943–44Clell Lee Metcalf
  14. 1944–49Emil W. Lehmann
  15. 1949–54Paul M. Van Arsdell
  16. 1954–56John E. Cribbet
  17. 1956–59R. W. Fleming
  18. 1959–61W. L. Everitt
  19. 1961–63O. Hobart Mowrer
  20. 1963–65Halbert E. Gulley
  21. 1965–67Allen E. Weller
  22. 1967–70Bruce L. Larson
  23. 1970–71E. Eugene Oliver
  24. 1971–73Robert W. Bohl
  25. 1973–74James W. Carey
  26. 1974–76Harold G. Halcrow
  27. 1976–78Stephen A. Douglas
  28. 1978–80W. D. Buddemeier
  29. 1980–81Gerald D. Brighton
  30. 1981–82Robert C. Hiltibran
  31. 1982–83Richard A. Zollinger
  32. 1983–84Wendell Anderson
  33. 1984–85Howard Diamond
  34. 1985–87James C. Schroeder
  35. 1987–89Maynard J. Brichford
  36. 1989–90John W. Thompson
  37. 1990–92Thomas A. SealsLater chair of the trustees
  38. 1992–95Frederick D. Neumann
  39. 1995–97Priscilla J. FortierFirst woman to chair the board
  40. 1997–99Mary E. Beastall
  41. 1999–2001Stephen A. Douglas
  42. 2001–04Dannel McCollum
  43. 2004–06Geoff Merritt
  44. 2006–08Willard BroomLater interim executive director
  45. 2008–10Tony Endress
  46. 2010–11Debbie Rugg
  47. 2011–12Walt McMahon
  48. 2012–13David Thies
  49. 2013–14Ellen DahlkeStudent president 2007–08
  50. 2014–15Ricardo Diaz
  51. 2015–18Kenny Long
  52. 2018–20Cassie Carroll
  53. 2020–21Ann-Perry Witmer
  54. 2021–22Ross Wantland
  55. 2022–25Joseph P. ChamleyStudent president 1989–91
  56. 2025–Nathan Alexander Current

Sources To 1997: Peters, p. 178 and preface; Hannah, One Hundred Years of Action, p. 88. From 1998: the Y’s 150th Anniversary program (2023), checked against board minutes, rosters, annual meeting programs and annual reports.

Chairs of the Board of Trustees1923–today · 11 people

A first Board of Trustees, created in the reorganization of 1922–23, held the Y’s property and endowment until 1930, when the Board of Directors took over its work. General Secretary Harold Ingalls had it reestablished in 1951 to raise and manage the endowment; its first eight members were appointed in 1952.

  1. 1923–30Not yet identified
  2. 1952–53Fred A. Poor
  3. 1953–59George R. CarrCarr Lounge is named for him and his brother
  4. 1959–67Wayne A. Johnston
  5. 1968–79William B. Browder
  6. 1979–91Ralph E. Davis
  7. 1991–2004Darrell L. Hartweg
  8. 2004–16Scott N. Herrick
  9. 2016–19Gloria S. GleaveFirst woman to chair the trustees
  10. 2019–22Ron Hoffman
  11. 2022–25Tom SealsBoard chair 1990–92
  12. 2025–Lauren Haynes Current

Sources To 1997: Hannah, pp. 81, 89–91; Peters, p. 85, and photographs; the Daily Illini, 1954–70. From 1998: the Y’s 150th Anniversary program (2023), checked against board minutes, rosters, annual meeting programs and annual reports.

General secretaries, general directors and executive directors1896–today · 24 people

The Y’s senior staff officer was first called the general secretary, then general director, and now executive director. Henry E. Wilson, “Chief” to generations of students, held the post for thirty years.

  1. 1896–97W. E. DurstineStudent president 1895–96
  2. 1897–98Adam V. Millar
  3. 1898–1900William W. Dillon
  4. 1900–04Philip A. Conard
  5. 1904–06Neil McMillan, Jr.Student president 1902–03
  6. 1906–08Dwight W. Weist
  7. 1908–12William A. McKnightStudent president 1903–04
  8. 1912–13Ralph C. ScottStudent president 1911–12
  9. 1913–15Lloyd C. DouglasLater the novelist of The Robe (1942)
  10. 1915–16E. Glen Hersman
  11. 1916–46Henry E. Wilson“Chief”
  12. 1946–48Philip B. Morgan
  13. 1948–50Howard A. Amerman
  14. 1950–58Harold B. Ingalls
  15. 1958–67J. Frederick Miller
  16. 1968–81Harold R. Reinhart
  17. 1981–84David G. LindstromStudent president 1959–60
  18. 1984Ed NestingenInterim, May–September
  19. 1984–89Mark C. Johnson
  20. 1990–99John E. Jordan
  21. 1999–2008Steve Shoemaker
  22. 2008–09Willard BroomInterim; board chair 2006–08
  23. 2009–20Mike Doyle
  24. 2020–Jim Hinterlong Current

Sources To 1997: Peters, p. 179; the Daily Illini, 1911–68. From 1998: the Y’s 150th Anniversary program (2023), checked against board minutes, rosters, annual meeting programs and annual reports.

Peters leaves 1989–90 open for the senior staff post, probably an interim. We haven’t yet found who chaired the trustees in 1923–30. Know a name, or spot an error? Write to hello.ymca@universityymca.org