‘Coming home.’ Charlotte native Stan Law picked to lead his hometown YMCA
The YMCA of Greater Charlotte’s next leader will be “coming home.”
Stan Law, current president and CEO of the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina, will become his hometown organization’s next president and CEO in early January, the Charlotte Y announced Monday after a four-month search.
He will succeed Todd Tibbits, who left Charlotte for California to become CEO of the YMCA of San Diego County in August. Cesar Silva, the YMCA Charlotte’s chief administrative officer, has been serving as interim president.
Law grew up a mile from the McCrorey YMCA on Beatties Ford Road, the Observer previously reported. He began his career with the Charlotte YMCA as an afterschool counselor before taking on leadership positions at the YMCAs of Greater Washington D.C. and Greater Cincinnati. He served as CEO and president of the YMCA of Greater Birmingham (Ala.), before taking on his current position in Winston-Salem in 2017.
“I’m honored to have been selected to lead the YMCA that served me as a child, through swim lessons and camp, and where I began my career,” Law said in a YMCA news release. “Returning to Charlotte means coming home. I’m incredibly passionate about the community, and the Y’s ability to serve where the needs are greatest.”
Law has a longtime connection to the YMCA in Charlotte.
His grandfather, Hardy Liston, is a former Johnson C. Smith University president who served on the McCrorey YMCA’s board in the 1950s. Law also oversaw the development of the Stratford Richardson and Dowd YMCA branches in 2006.
After graduating from West Charlotte High School, Law attended Central Piedmont Community College before transferring to Gardner-Webb University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in social science. In 2007, CPCC honored Law with the Richard H. Hagemeyer Award for his outstanding achievements in the community.
The YMCA of Greater Charlotte, with 17 branches, said it has seen a leveling-off of membership numbers this year, but they’re just over half of what it was prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Its day and overnight camp programs had a successful summer, serving thousands of kids at nearly full capacity, the YMCA said. Membership and programming fees represent 90% of the Y’s revenue, of which $40 million was lost in 2020 as a result of the pandemic.
“I’m excited to welcome Stan and know he’s the right person coming to our Y at the right time,” Theresa Drew, board chair of the YMCA of Greater Charlotte, said. “The board is confident in Stan’s ability to lead our Y through this challenging time and to position us well for the future.”
