My Y Story: A Board Member’s Journey Through Service and Leadership

In late 2016 Andy Whigham was commuting to Cambridge for work and made a career change and became a financial advisor in Nashua where he lived with his young family. He was actively seeking a way to get involved with the Greater Nashua community, so through his work Andy became an ambassador for the Chamber where he was able to learn more about the YMCA.  Even though his family was actively involved in programming, Andy knew little about the Y’s mission and other impactful initiatives, and was soon greatly impressed by what he discovered.  Andy was asked to be on the Board of Directors and has been serving since, most recently as the Chief Volunteer Officer (CVO) for the past two years.  Andy’s term as CVO will be ending shortly, but he shared how impactful his time in that role has been “The thing I’ve always love about this organization is the fact is that there are no politics or egos coming into play.  Staff and Volunteers, everyone is here for the right reason.  If there’s something we want to change, there’s a culture of figuring out how to do it.”

Andy shared that his proudest contributions during his time on the board has been the expansion of the Y’s mission and brand, making sure that the community sees the organization as more than just a gym and swim.  He also noted the growth in working with organizational partners to strategize fulfilling needs in the community “The Y has become one of the key non-profits in the area and is known to collaborate well with others to solve problems.”

While the role of CVO will see someone new at the helm Andy will remain on the Board of Directors for two more years and is excited for the future endeavors  “ It’s not just the work we’re doing, but it’s energizing to work with people who work together and don’t care about who gets the credit.  I see a real value and excitement in the partnerships we can grow to serve so many more people.”

Andy shared that growing up he didn’t participate in the Y as there was not one nearby, so as a parent he was thrilled to enroll his children in classes such as swimming, dance, sports and gymnastics when they were young.  Now as a parent of a 16 and 13 year old Andy shared he’s proud to continue to be involved with the Y in another way and enjoys contributing his time.  Thank you for all your time and commitment to the Y, Andy!