Denise Day, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Brandywine (YGBW), recently announced her retirement. In her current role, Day leads a team of more than 2,000 staff members and serves more than 50,000 members across eight locations.

Of her 37-year career with the YMCA, Day spent 23 years in Chester County. She also worked at other YMCA locations in Nebraska, California and Delaware, and across Pennsylvania.

During Day's tenure as CEO, she saw the merger of the two Chester County YMCAs, which formed the YMCA of Greater Brandywine in 2014. Prior to 2014, there were two separate YMCA associations serving Chester County - the YMCA of the Upper Main Line and the YMCA of the Brandywine Valley. The latter of the two was led by Day.

Day also led the YMCA through the COVID-19 pandemic. Day worked to quickly create a new virtual format and to revise the use of brick-and-mortar facilities to best serve the community. She also repurposed the YMCA facilities, offering the Brandywine and Jennersville branches for COVID-19 vaccination sites open to the community. She also led the team to open Learning Centers for families trying to navigate the world of virtual learning.

When Day isn't working in her office in West Chester, she can often be found on the YGBW pickleball courts. In addition to being a passion of Day's, pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in the USA. With more than 40 courts, the YGBW offers hundreds of hours of playtime weekly to more than 1,900 pickleball players. Day continues to develop plans to bring a dedicated pickleball facility to the Chester County community in 2023.

Day is set to retire from her role as CEO in June 2023. She is working closely with Donna Urian, board chair for the YGBW, and YUSA, the organization's national headquarters, to conduct a nationwide search to find her successor.

The YGBW is an association of eight YMCAs serving Chester County. Local branches include the Brandywine YMCA, 295 Hurley Road, Coatesville, which serves Coatesville, Parkesburg, Thorndale and surrounding areas; the Octorara YMCA and Program Center, 104 Highland Road, Atglen, which serves Atglen, Cochranville and Sadsburyville; and the Lionville Community YMCA, 100 Devon Drive, Exton, which serves Chester Springs, Downingtown, Exton and Glenmoore. To learn more, visit http://www.ymcagbw.org.