Texas YMCAs Form State Alliance, Name Greg Hartman as CEO
Workforce education, child care top of mind in planned expansion
Greg Hartman, former longtime president of the Seton Healthcare Network and more recently chief operating officer of Texas A&M University, is the first CEO for the Texas Alliance of YMCAs.
Courtesy of the Austin Business Journal
By ABJ staff
Mar 1, 2024
YMCAs in Texas are banding together to have a bigger influence on the economy, and the organization pulling them closer together is being led by a familiar face on Austin’s business scene.
Greg Hartman, former longtime president of the Seton Healthcare Network and more recently chief operating officer of Texas A&M University, is the first CEO for the Texas Alliance of YMCAs. He started March 1.
Statewide expansion of the network of nonprofits is a key priority, according to an announcement. Right now, local YMCAs report serving more than 1 million Texans annually across more than 200 communities. They boast of being the state’s largest provider of child care, health and wellness and water safety programs. Since the pandemic, many Ys, as they’re called, have changed their focus to address new needs such as workforce development, immigrant and refugee support, affordable housing and food security.
“Greg is the type of leader who can help align the Y at the state and federal level in addition to our local communities,” said Eric Tucker, chair of the Texas State Alliance and CEO of the Arlington-Mansfield YMCA.
Tucker said that as the state’s largest provider of child care and early education — serving more than 25,000 kids daily — YMCA has been leading conversations to develop a new business model for that sector.
“We know it’s going to take government, businesses, nonprofits and other partners to come to the table ready to find a solution,” Tucker said. “Greg can help convene those conversations.”
YMCA is working with the Texas Workforce Commission to further bridge gaps in child care. It’s also heads-down on workforce development strategies to support the state’s projected growth, according to the announcement.
Due largely to a manufacturing boom in Austin — and mega project such as a revamp to I-35 and new light rail lines — business and civic leaders in Central Texas worry about workforce shortages for the foreseeable future. The city of Austin recently announced a sweeping effort to build a workforce academy.
“There’s no other organization in Texas that can do what the Y can,” Hartman said in an announcement. “We have the potential to improve the quality of life for millions of people.
