Chief of Y foundation takes a part-time role

Robert Alexander THE BLADE/ANDY MORRISON Enlarge | Photo Reprints

Retirement came early this summer for Robert Alexander, the former head of the YMCA & JCC of Greater Toledo, who pivoted out of his CEO job last year during a firestorm of controversy over the closing of a Y branch.

Todd Tibbits, the current CEO and president, said Wednesday that Mr. Alexander, 64, formally retired June 30 from a full-time position as director of the Y's foundation, where he was responsible for growing the organization's endowment. His retirement date previously was set for Saturday.

Mr. Alexander shifted from CEO to foundation director on Jan. 1, retaining a $270,357 annual base salary that had made him the highest-paid president and CEO of a YMCA system in Ohio, and the highest-paid head of a social service agency in Toledo.

His $180,000-a-year replacement was Mr. Tibbits, previously the vice president of operations.

Yet it's not all leisure on his horizon for Mr. Alexander, who came to the Toledo Y system as CEO in 1989. He is now working part time as the foundation director, drawing a monthly $5,000 fee for his services, Mr. Tibbits said.

Mr. Tibbits said it was his decision to keep Mr. Alexander at the foundation at least through the year because of Mr. Alexander's strong performance thus far. "He's had very good success and I've wanted to keep that momentum," Mr. Tibbits said.

The Y recently set out to grow its endowment from $4.3 million to $6 million by the end of 2012. Mr. Alexander is focused on that goal, and is cultivating donations through future pledges in members' wills and earmarks in life insurance policies, Mr. Tibbits said.

"A lot of the work for the endowment is getting gifts into the future," he said.

The former CEO is also working to grow the Y's "Heritage Club" to 250 members from its current 100. A minimum $1,000 gift is required.

Last year's job shuffle followed a public-relations tempest over the Y's decision to shutter its aging and money-losing South Toledo Y branch on Woodsdale Park Drive near the Anthony Wayne Trail.

Initially Mr. Alexander took a visible role in defending the closure, but later stepped into the background amid fallout from his confrontation in the building's parking lot with a neighborhood group and State Sen. Teresa Fedor (D., Toledo).

Mr. Alexander's wife, Stephanie Dames, continues to work as the Y's senior vice president of development, a position with a $139,357 annual salary last year that made her the second-highest paid employee. Last fall, Mr. Alexander, his wife, daughter, and daughter-in-law each held executive-level Y jobs, and drew combined salaries of more than $600,000 a year.

Mr. Tibbits said the Y continues to face financial challenges and recently completed a round of employee layoffs.

Revenue for 2010 is forecast at $29 million, down from $33.5 million at the end of 2008, he said.

In cutting costs, the nonprofit's salaries budget has dropped by more than $1.5 million in the past two years, Mr. Tibbits said.

The South Toledo Y closed in December, and Y officials recently announced that they will raze the 56-year-old building and maintain the land as green space. Mr. Tibbits said the Y is not looking to shutter any more branches.

The Greater Toledo YMCA system has 10 fitness center locations, in addition to multiple day-care programs and the YMCA Storer Camps.

Contact JC Reindl at:

jreindl@theblade.com

or 419-724-6065.