Board appoints Ryan Smiley to President of premier youth development organization
Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County is pleased to announce that Ryan Smiley has been appointed by the Board of Directors to serve as the organization’s new President. Smiley has been fulfilling the duties of President on an interim basis since Chuck Leer retired last spring.
“The last several months have been a period of transition for the Clubs. We have had the opportunity to see Ryan deliver exceptional leadership in that transition,” said Tim Rice, Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County Board Chairman. “We’re confident in Ryan’s commitment to doing what’s best for Porter County’s kids, his focus on measuring outcomes to determine success and his strong stewardship of resources. We’re excited about his ability to lead the organization from being good to great, which can only mean great futures for our kids in our communities.”
Originally from Chesterton, Indiana, Smiley earned a B.S. in Sports Management from the University of Tampa. He began a career in non-profit management with a privately held organization in Florida and then joined the YMCA movement in 2003. He successfully served multiple YMCA organizations throughout Florida in a host of management capacities. In 2008, he joined the YMCA of Broward County/Sheinberg Family YMCA of Weston in Florida as the Operations Executive Director. While there, he consistently improved operations management and exceeded financial goals of a $6.5M organization which served over 18,000 individual members.
In April 2012, he, his wife Dena and their two children, moved “back home” to Valparaiso and Smiley began his career with Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County as the Director of Operations. His focus on Club staff development, program enhancement, club experience and community and school relationships resulted in a 26% increase in daily average attendance in the Clubs in 2012. He quickly began to re-establish his roots and became involved in a host of community initiatives. He is a member of Valparaiso’s Fit City council, is in the current class of Valparaiso Chamber’s Leadership Academy and served as an External Steering Committee Member for Portage Township School’s P.E.A.K Program. Smiley is committed to working with community members, partners and supporters to make Porter County a better place to live, work and play.
“I want to ensure that every child in Porter County has the same opportunities I had growing up here,” said Smiley. “With a continued focus on the Clubs three priority areas, healthy lifestyles, good character and citizenship and academic success, we are able to provide hope and opportunity to nearly 1,000 Porter County kids every day.”
Smiley is only the third person to lead Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County in its over 40-year history. “The impact the Clubs has had on Porter County over the past 40 years has been incredible. Kids who have grown up in the Clubs are now our communities’ teachers, coaches, police officers, business owners and civic leaders," remarked Smiley. “We have an extremely dedicated group of Board of Directors and staff who are committed to our mission. Through their efforts and those of all of our supporters, I’m looking forward to nurturing our relationships and growing our resources to provide even more children with the support they need to have great futures in the years to come.”
Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County has been opening doors to GREAT FUTURES for Porter County’s youth since 1971. The Clubs provide high quality programs focusing on academic success, good character and leadership and healthy lifestyles for over 4,800 boys and girls every year.
For more information on membership, volunteer opportunities or to make a tax-deductible donation to Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County, please contact your local Club, call (219) 464-7282 or visit www.bgcpoco.org. Great Futures Start HERE.