David Byrd, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Kansas City, has accepted the position of senior vice president of movement advancement with YMCA of the USA. He will remain in Kansas City through mid-March.

CiCi Rojas, who leads the YMCA of Greater Kansas City’s Board of Directors as chief volunteer officer, said she is proud of the work Byrd has accomplished in the past eight years and grateful he will continue to serve Ys throughout the country in his new role.

“Because of David’s leadership, the YMCA of Greater Kansas City has become known across the country as a top example of a cause-driven Y working to strengthen communities,” said Rojas, who has served on the Board of Directors since 2013. “He has been a passionate leader for our Y and spearheaded a remarkable revitalization. We will miss David, but it is no surprise that Y-USA noticed his success and asked him to fill this new role.”

Rojas appointed Chris Kurtz, current Board member and past chief volunteer officer, to lead a search committee for a new president and CEO. An interim leadership plan will be led by the Y’s senior officer staff team in partnership with the Y Board officer volunteers.

“The Y is in a strong, stable position, and we’re being very thoughtful about this transition to ensure that we continue to build on the success achieved under David’s leadership,” Rojas said. 

Byrd joined the YMCA of Greater Kansas City as president and CEO in June 2010. During his tenure, the Y completed the largest capital campaign in its history. As a result, the expanded and renovated Linwood YMCA/James B. Nutter, Sr. Community Center and Atchison Family YMCA/Cray Community Center opened in 2017 to better serve those communities. 

In addition, the Y broke ground on the new Kirk Family YMCA at the former Lyric Theatre building in November 2018. Since arriving in Kansas City, Byrd has been passionate about bringing a full-service Y to back to the heart of downtown Kansas City for the first time since 1984. 

The revitalization of the Y under Byrd’s tenure has also included improving the Y’s finances and advancing many areas, including fundraising, volunteer recruitment, diversity and inclusion, and innovation in community integrated health.

In his new position, Byrd will support the largest Ys in North America, build resources among Ys to serve communities, and advance nationwide work in membership and healthy living. YMCA of the USA, located in Chicago, is the national resource office for 2,700 Ys that serve 10,000 communities and 22 million people across the country. 

“This was a difficult decision for me, because I love Kansas City and the people here, but after much thought I feel called to serve our Y movement in a new way,” Byrd said. “Our team has created a vibrant and stable Y that has an amazing vision for the future. I feel confident that the Kansas City Y will continue to serve and impact this community like never before.” 

Byrd’s 41-year career with Ys across the country has included serving as president and CEO of YMCA of Greater Durham in Durham, NC; chief operating officer for the Central Florida YMCA in Orlando; and chief operating officer for the YMCA of Middle Tennessee in Nashville.