Our Staff -
PCCCS
Be Part of Our Team
Our Y is always looking for talented associates to help us make our community stronger. Explore and apply for full- and part-time job opportunities available at Platte County Community Center South operated by the YMCA of Greater Kansas City.
Michelle
Ford
Executive Director
Michelle Ford is a veteran of the Y movement, with 30 years of experience starting at the Paul Henson YMCA in Prairie Village as a part-time Youth Sports Coordinator. She has held many positions within the YMCA with responsibilities in operations, programs, board and volunteer development, facility management and fundraising. She was the team leader opening two new YMCAs in Olathe and Bonner Springs, was instrumental in starting the YMCA Challenger program for kids with diverse abilities in 2006 and also spear headed the construction of our all accessible Challenger Sports Complex that opened in 2010.
She has extensive background in fundraising including capital, annual and planned giving and she is a YMCA of the USA Faculty Trainer in Annual Support Campaign.
In her role as Executive Director at Platte County Community Center South, she oversees all operations along with the management of our partnership with the City of Riverside. She work’s directly with our Community Mission Board to raise awareness and funds to help those families throughout southern Platte County in need of Y services.
Tonya
Hoopes
Senior Aquatics Director
Tonya joined the Y in 2007 and has been in her current role since June 2015.
She grew up in Chandler, Arizona, and graduated from Northern Arizona University with a degree in exercise science. Tonya has swim certificates in YGLI and YSLIT. She also has an American Safety & Health Institute Instructor certificate.
Outside of the Y, she has worked as a risk manager and aquatics safety auditor. Tonya says the best part of her job is the members. Outside of work, she enjoys anything outdoors, like camping or hiking.
Sarah
Srock
Healthy Living Director
Sarah began her professional career working in the news industry as a news anchor, reporter and producer for seven and a half years in St. Joseph, MO. She has always been passionate about health and wellness and in 2006 - just two years into her journalism career - she decided to obtain her personal training and group exercise certification. Shortly after receiving her certifications, she began working part-time for the St. Joseph Family YMCA in 2006 as a personal trainer and group exercise instructor. In December of 2011, she left the news industry and began working full time for Mosaic Life Care as a fitness specialist, where she gained more education and knowledge of health and wellness.
Her true passion of helping others lead a healthy lifestyle continued to grow and led her to her current full-time profession within the YMCA as the healthy living director. In October of 2014, she began a full time career with the St. Joseph Family Y as the healthy living drector and continued in that role until November 2015, when she and her husband moved to Massachusetts to further our careers, with their daughters.
In January 2016, she began working for the Bayside Family YMCA, in Barrington, Rhode Island, as the senior health and wellness director. While at the Bayside YMCA, she continued to develop staff within the healthy living department to help them be successful in their roles; assisted in the growth of the personal training program; assisted in the growth of group exercise participation; implemented Pedaling for Parkinson's, a cycling program for individuals with Parkinson's Disease; created and implemented programs to fit the needs of the community, as well as led a successful "Cycle for YOUR Cause" fundraiser to support the Annual Support Campaign!
In 2018, she and her family decided it was time to move home to be near family.
She earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from Pennsylvania State University. She is an aerobics and Fitness Association of America certified personal trainer and group exercise instructor, as well as a certified Les Mills Bodypump instructor. She is also CPR/AED/First Aid/O2 certified.
In her spare time, she enjoys running the trails, taking adventures and spending time with family.
Betsy
Jones
MEMBER ENGAGEMENT DIRECTOR
Betsy has served in a variety of roles across the metro area since she started working for the YMCA of Greater Kansas City in 2003.
She was a welcome center associate, business director, membership director and associate center executive at the Vivion Road YMCA. She served as the corporate membership and marketing director for Youth Development Services. She was also a family advocate at Thomas Roque Head Start.
She loves working with our Y members, as they keep her smiling!
Prior to her career with the Y, she owned a retail and event planning business with her family. She holds a degree in marketing and management from Oklahoma State University. In her spare time, she cheers on her daughters in their volleyball games. Her hobbies include camping, fishing, traveling and barbecue. She's a certified barbecue judge and has judged the last eight American Royal Invitational competitions.
Kathy
Armitage
Active Lifestyle Program Director
Kathy grew up in Kansas City, MO, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation Management with an emphasis in Therapeutics from Central Missouri State. Prior to joining the YMCA of Greater Kansas City in 2001, Kathy spent 15 years in mental health as a recreation therapist. In addition to working with people who are 50 and older through healthy living programs that support body, mind and spirit, Kathy is the Platte County Community Garden coordinator. In her free time, she enjoys outdoor cycling, master swimming, traveling and volunteering for her daughter's swim team. She enjoys that her role allows her to work with ages 50 and older, create new programs outside the four walls of the center, and collaborate with others to serve more people in the community.