PROVIDENCE, RI – The YMCA of Greater Providence (GPYMCA) has hired Karen Santilli as its next CEO. Her first day as the new executive of GPYMCA will be March 4, 2024. Current CEO Steve O’Donnell announced his retirement from GPYMCA late last year.
“Over the last decade, few people in Rhode Island have had the kind of influence and impact as Karen Santilli. She is widely respected and well known for being results-driven and community focused. We are thrilled that she will be leading the YMCA of Greater Providence,” said Steven DellaPosta, GPYMCA’s Board Chair. “Our board and our branch leaders are incredibly grateful for the years of service that Colonel Steven O’Donnell committed to the GPYMCA, and we know that he has laid a firm foundation for Karen to build upon.”
As CEO, Santilli will oversee the organization’s operations and will lead a strategic effort designed to expand membership, programming, and community engagement in Providence and across the region. She will oversee a staff of 500 year-round staff and a team that expands to more than 750 employees each summer.
“The YMCA of Greater Providence is one of the most important, impactful, and lasting community pillars in our region. I am thrilled to lead the YMCA of Greater Providence and steer this organization as it continues to evolve coming out of the pandemic,” said Karen Santilli, incoming CEO of GPYMCA. “My kids learned to swim at the Cranston Y. I know how important our branch YMCAs are, and I believe that each facility ought to reflect the community it serves. As I step into this new role, I am deeply grateful for the work that Steve O’Donnell has done over the last seven years to secure a strong foundation during some of the most difficult and challenge days.”
Santilli has been the CEO of Crossroads Rhode Island, the state’s leading provider of housing and services for people experiencing homelessness, for nearly a decade. At Crossroads, Santilli oversaw the agency’s implementation of a Housing First strategy, led the effort to establish a comprehensive strategic plan, and played a leading role to elevate the state’s focus on housing in recent years. As CEO of Crossroads, she was responsible for a staff of 175, a $30 million annual budget, and a robust program and development portfolio. During her time at Crossroads, Santilli tripled annual private philanthropy.
“The members and staff of the YMCA of Greater Providence are what makes our facilities unique and historic. I am grateful for our community’s tireless effort in transforming us through a pandemic when some YMCAs and other organizations closed forever,” said Steven O’Donnell, retiring CEO of GPYMCA. “I’ll be forever grateful to our donors, supporters, staff, members, vendors, and our Board of directors who have always exercised prudence and fiscal responsibility to allow us to move into a new phase of leadership during my tenure. Karen Santilli is a proven leader with a well-earned reputation being one of the most effective non-profit leaders in southern New England. The GPYMCA is in great hands.”
O’Donnell joined the GPYMCA in 2017 after more than three decades in law enforcement, including two years as the U.S. Marshall for the District of Rhode Island and five years as Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police. As CEO at GPYMCA, O’Donnell helped expand swim programs to serve a more diverse population, oversaw facility upgrades at branches across the system, revitalized the outdoor facilities at the Kent County YMCA, and helped stabilize the organization’s finances during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. O’Donnell also established an annual recognition program that honors organizations and individuals who have supported GPYMCA’s mission and activities. This year’s honorees will be announced in the weeks to come.
GPYMCA includes six branch locations across Rhode Island and in Seekonk, Massachusetts, plus Providence Youth Services, Camp Fuller, and the Shooting Stars School of Dance in Seekonk. The organization provides programs for Rhode Islanders and Massachusetts residents of all ages and supports equitable access to health, fitness, recreational, and other services. In addition, GPYMCA supports high-quality out-of-school time programs and other community-based approaches to delivering health and wellness opportunities, academic enrichment and achievement, and youth development skills.
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Media Contact, for YMCA of Greater Providence
Mike Raia, Half Street Group
401.340.9425 | mike@halfstreetgroup.com
