Mike Manuel and 10 Community Leaders Elected to the Y Metro Board

At the Y of Central Florida's annual meeting on May 13, Mike Manuel was re-elected to chair the 2016-2017 Metropolitan Board of Directors. As the Y’s top volunteer officer, Manuel will work with 61 other volunteer board members and staff to expand the Y’s impact in Youth Development, Healthy Living and Social Responsibility.

Manuel, a former finance executive with EXP US Services and Wachovia Bank, has been an active YMCA volunteer leader for several years. In addition to serving on the Y Metro Board’s executive and audit committees, Manuel also led our 2014-2015 Annual Support Campaign, which raised $3.3 million and helped connect more than 50,000 people to Y programs and services.

A graduate of Florida State University, Manuel has also been an active volunteer with the Florida Hospital Foundation Executive Board, the American Cancer Society, Seminole Boosters Inc., Heart of Florida United Way, and the Florida Citrus Sports Foundation.

“I’m honored to serve a second term as YMCA Metro board chair,” Manuel said. “It’s an exciting time to be involved with the Y, which is experiencing one of the most dynamic periods of growth and impact in its 135-year history. Through the commitment of a strong board, the Y’s staff and executive leadership, and more than 23,000 donors, volunteers and advocates, our Y association is on track to improve more than 600,000 lives per year.

Dan Wilcox, YMCA President/CEO characterized Mike Manuel and all of the Y’s new board members as “highly accomplished individuals whose expertise represents nearly every profession and walk of life.”

“The strength of our Y is directly attributable to the sustaining support of Dr. Phillips Charities, as well as the commitment of volunteer leaders like Mike Manuel,” Wilcox said. “Through this, the Y is impacting our community in big and small ways – everything from improving community health and school achievement to strengthening at-risk families.”

In addition to Manuel’s election, 10 new board members were elected for two-year terms, 2016–2017. They include:

  • Aubrey Anthony, YMCA Teen Ambassador, and emerging Y leader.
  • Pete Barr Jr., President & CEO, & Barr
  • Karen Brown, Partner – Assurance Services, Ernst & Young
  • Keith Durkin, Partner, Broad & Cassel, Attorneys At Law
  • Arnold Evans, President/CEO, SunTrust Bank, Central Florida
  • Andy Gardiner, Vice President, External Affairs & Community Relations, Orlando Health
  • Charlie Puckett, CPA, McDirmit, Davis & Company, LLC
  • Christopher Rolle, Jr., Orlando Market President, BB&T Bank
  • Keith Thomas, President, Thomas Design International
  • Tyra Witsell, Retired Division Manager, Orange County Citizens Commission for Children

About the YMCA of Central Florida

The YMCA of Central Florida is one of the area’s largest nonprofits, serving more than 415,000 Central Floridians per year through a focus on Youth Development, Healthy Living, and Social Responsibility. With a Christian-based mission to improve lives and communities, it operates 27 YMCA Family Centers across Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Brevard, Lake, and Marion counties. And this mission is expanded beyond the four walls of the Y through community-based programs to combat chronic disease, boost children’s after-school safety and learning, and strengthen fragile families. In 2015, this YMCA Association of over 1,800 employees engaged 23,000 donors, volunteers, and advocates, who joined together for the common good. To ensure that the Y remains available and accessible to all, it also provided $5.4 million in program and membership assistance to more than 50,000 children, families, and seniors.