Merrimack Valley Y staff honored by the Y Professional Network
Several team members from the Merrimack Valley YMCA were honored by the Y Professional Network, a peer-led professional association for Y staff.
The Y is so proud to have such dedicated talented staff!
These staff members were recognized at YPN Chapter 4 association annual meeting in November at Gillette Stadium.
Emerging Leader Award
Silvana Sanchez – Youth and Family Program Director – Andover Branch
Silvana has come into a new position at our Y and had an immediate impact. She has started new programs, grown and improved quality in existing programs. She brings an energy and enthusiasm to our team that is infectious. She is always looking to learn and grow. Our Y is so fortunate to have such a great emerging leader on our team.
Luisa Perez Jimenez – Director of Early Education Programs – Methuen Branch
Luisa is an amazing leader. She runs a large Early Learning site and supervises a large group of veteran teachers. In a short period of time, she has gained the respect and admiration from her team. She was their peer and was promoted to the director role, which can bring its own challenges. She has an almost perfect staff retention rate and her program is full. This is a representation of the quality of her program and her leadership of the team. Luisa is truly an emerging leader in our Y and the Early Childhood Education field.
Unsung Hero
Ellen Henry – Staff Accountant
Every Y needs an Ellen Henry! She does all of the behind the scenes work in our Finance Office. It is not just about her talent and skills, it also about how she does it. She is kind, humble, and always there to teach and assist our team in navigating the financial world of our Y. Over the last year, she has been instrumental in several process improvement projects, which have led to clean audits and efficient operations.
Team Award
Child Protection Team – Jane Dinsmore – Chief Human Resources Officer
Cathy Redard – Executive Director of Child Care
Anne Whalen – Senior Executive Director Camping Services
This team successfully led and completed the work to get the Merrimack Valley Y its Praesidium Accreditation. This was a comprehensive two-year journey that will help our Y protect all of the children we serve. What makes the Merrimack Valley Y unique is the fact that our Y has four very different and distinct branches which include an island camp operation that is 100 miles from our base. This team was able to rally our entire organization around this initiative and work tirelessly to complete this journey. The best part of this team is the fact that they know that we must now earn this accreditation everyday moving forward.
Director of the Year
Lenis Perez – Associate Executive Director / Youth Development – Lawrence Branch
When it comes to Teen Programs no one does it better than Lenis Perez. It all starts with her relationships with the youth she serves and the young staff that she leads. She understands the needs of our young people, is a great listener, empathetic and a tremendous role model for them. She continues to innovate in program development to provide offerings that support career exploration, academic performance, workforce development, mental health, arts and culture, athletics, and fun! In her spare time, she supports our Association’s GDEI work. Lenis’ work in youth development has been transformational both in our Y and the City of Lawrence!!
