The ‘Why’ behind the YMCA’s New COO: Insights from Tabitha Ervin

M. Todd Manuel
FWIS Contributing Writer

The YMCA of Greater Fort Wayne announced last week that there would be a change in their upper leadership. Following the board of directors’ announcement last month, the organization named Tabitha Ervin as the new Chief Operations Officer. Tabitha is now the organization’s second-highest ranking leader and is responsible for the organization's operations and management strategies alongside the new CEO Andrew Gritzmaker. Tabitha is also a very active community leader on several non-profit community boards and the Editorial Director of the Fort Wayne Ink Spot newspaper.

Upon discussions of her role, Ervin was eager to share insights into how she has grown as a leader inside her organization and life in general. Tabitha has worked for the YMCA for the past 15 years and began as the program director at the former Old Fort and Southeast locations. She reveals how much she appreciates the YMCA and why she believes in its programs and initiatives: “I love the work that we get to do in the community through our mission and core values, ”Ervin said, highlighting the many programs that the YMCA provides.

Only a few people know that the scope of the YMCA goes beyond just physical fitness into fighting hunger through food pantries to truancy programs for school-aged youth. In addition, the YMCA leads summer camps, leadership development programs for teens, sports programs for youth and adults, cooking classes, childcare, and wellness classes that support its mission to “put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind, and body for all,” according to its website. Tabitha echoes this commitment to the Greater Fort Wayne Area when she proudly states, “We serve the whole family from babies all the way up to active older adults and everyone in between!”

Mrs. Ervin describes her journey to her new role as one that started with a dream to give back to her hometown and community in Pontiac, Michigan. She wanted to open and manage her own community center, to provide services similar to the YMCA’s programs. “I was at the Y for that experience, not knowing that God would make that dream of opening my own building right here in Fort Wayne with the Jackson Lehman Y five and a half years ago,” said Tabitha. She has held many roles over her 15 year tenure with the organization and credits her successes to the people around her. She identifies relationships with others, shared trust, and teamwork as the foundation of her leadership.

“The tactics, analytics, and technical parts of the work will happen regardless, but I’ve learned that the MOST important part of my work is people and culture—staff, members and community,” said Tabitha. She says that solid people skills are crucial because they create trust and an environment conducive to working hard. The harder people work, the more the team and the organization wins.

Tabitha believes that God always has something greater for his people and says she is driven to be her best by taking risks and growing outside of normal boundaries. Her philosophy is that if an action is worth doing, it is worth doing 200%. If you are not going further, working harder in an unusual way, you will experience typical results. Tabitha identifies her parents as her biggest inspirations, who were hard-working blue-collar people that she says did everything to provide the life that has produced the types of people that she and her siblings have become. And despite the loss of her father in 2021, Tabitha says that his legacy reminds her to continually work hard and remember that tomorrow is not promised to any of us.

Watching and learning from a leader like Tabitha is truly an honor. Amongst being a leader in the community and organization, she is a devoted wife and mother who says those two roles must come first. She balances her work, life, and volunteer roles with integrative strategies that combine her responsibilities. “I tend to think of work/life as more of an integration than a balance because if you try to balance, it’ll always lean one way or another, but if you integrate, it’s working together. An example is that my daughter is very involved at the Y in activities, so I don’t miss much time with her because she is often in my office and sometimes in meetings with me,” Tabitha explains.

Tabitha’s dynamic energy and leadership approaches will surely enhance our shared community experience here in Fort Wayne while helping the YMCA become an even greater organization. “I am so excited about this role and how the Y can continue to grow and be a part of the lives of citizens in the Fort Wayne community. I love big goals, so I see the Y helping to solve and support big problems in our community, like obesity, diabetes prevention, cancer support, mental health awareness, and more. We do a lot of things already, so I think we will get more laser-focused, so people recognize who we are outside of the obvious. “

The Fort Wayne Ink Spot wishes the best to Tabitha in her new role and expresses great appreciation for her continued community contribution.