Hamilton Area YMCA

Long-time Hamilton Area YMCA CEO to Retire in 2015

The Hamilton Area YMCA announced recently that President/CEO Jim Fell will retire in June 2015. Fell has been with the Hamilton Y since 1991. 

During his tenure, Fell transformed the Hamilton Area YMCA from a small organization providing programming, summer camp and child care at sites including schools and churches to an organization of 14,000 members, two state-of-the-art facilities and an expanded mission of promoting youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. 

Fell oversaw the creation of the Sawmill Day Camp and Recreation Center in 2002 and the expansion of the John K. Rafferty Branch in 2008. He facilitated an expansion of the Y’s programs and services to directly address several areas of community need. During his tenure, the organization created programs like Y Connection, which provides middle schoolers with supervision and appropriate activities during after school hours, and Special Kids Organized Recreation (S.K.O.R.) for children and adults with special needs. 

Fell also facilitated a partnership with the Robbinsville-Hamilton Sunrise Rotary to create the Miracle League of Mercer County – an organization dedicated to providing individuals with special needs the opportunity to participate in an organized baseball league – and fostered the construction of the first barrier-free baseball field on the East Coast. 

During his time as President/CEO, the Hamilton Area YMCA was recognized for its contributions to the community with a series of awards from organizations like the MidJersey Chamber of Commerce and the Hamilton Township Economic Development Advisory Commission. Fell himself received the Stephen Wensley Award from Project Freedom in 2005 in recognition of his work on behalf of the special needs community. 

“When Jim joined the Hamilton Area YMCA, it was a small organization operating out of an office space on Route 33,” said Board of Directors Chairman John Cimino. “Now, the Y is the largest community organization in Hamilton Township with a host of programs and services designed to address a wide-range of community needs. Today, the Y is having a profound impact on our community, and that is due in no small part to the leadership and vision of Jim Fell.” 

“The Y has been so important to so many people since 1951,” said Fell. “It has truly been my great honor and privilege to serve as CEO of such a diverse and meaningful organization, and I am confident the Y will remain a vibrant and vital community resource for many years to come.” 

A search committee for the new CEO has been formed, and the recruitment process will begin on January 5th. Fell will continue as President/CEO until June to effectuate a smooth transition. 

Fell will be honored as Man of the Year at the Hamilton Area YMCA Spring Fling on June 11, 2015.