When Kurt Kramer, the new CEO of the Auburn YMCA, turned 21, he was searching for a right of passage into adulthood. He found that in a 2,000 mile hike of the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine that lasted about 120 days.
Sam Tenney / The Citizen
Kurt Kramer is the new executive director of the Auburn YMCA.
Kurt Kramer is the new executive director of the Auburn YMCA.
“It gave me confidence to know that through hard work, preparation and knowledge, I could do anything,” Kramer said of the trip's impact. “I used that confidence in the rest of my life.”
Kramer's willingness to take on a challenge has played a key role in his professional life. In his past positions as director of different YMCAs across the Northeast, he has turned around one that was failing financially, opened one new association and helped coordinate a merger between two neighboring YMCAs.
The challenge of making the one association financially stable was having enough people to support all the programs that were being offered, Kramer said.
“We had to make a lot of hard decisions about cutting programs and figuring out what programs people wanted to attend to make the Y better,” he said.
The changes helped, and the association was able to turn itself around and help the community, since that is really what the goal of the YMCA is, he said.
“What the Y's mission is about is helping people meet their full potential: a kid who couldn't swim, learning how to swim; an elderly person who's had a heart attack, getting healthy again,” he said.
Luckily, the Auburn YMCA doesn't have these problems, which is part of what attracted Kramer to the position.
This is a strong YMCA that has been active in the community for a long time, he believes. That is the kind of association he was looking for after leaving his position as a national training director in the company's office in Illinois.
“In the national office, the work was excellent, but I missed being in a local community,” Kramer said.
Working with children attracted Kramer to his first position as a YMCA camp director after he couldn't find a job with the Boy Scouts of America. That was when “the YMCA found me,” he said.
“When I was a camp director, I got to wear shorts and lead games with kids,” Kramer said. “Now I wear suits and work with administrators.”
Each kind of work can be right at a certain point in a person's life, he explained.
“I don't need to sleep on the ground anymore,” he added.
Kramer's willingness to take on a challenge has played a key role in his professional life. In his past positions as director of different YMCAs across the Northeast, he has turned around one that was failing financially, opened one new association and helped coordinate a merger between two neighboring YMCAs.
The challenge of making the one association financially stable was having enough people to support all the programs that were being offered, Kramer said.
“We had to make a lot of hard decisions about cutting programs and figuring out what programs people wanted to attend to make the Y better,” he said.
The changes helped, and the association was able to turn itself around and help the community, since that is really what the goal of the YMCA is, he said.
“What the Y's mission is about is helping people meet their full potential: a kid who couldn't swim, learning how to swim; an elderly person who's had a heart attack, getting healthy again,” he said.
Luckily, the Auburn YMCA doesn't have these problems, which is part of what attracted Kramer to the position.
This is a strong YMCA that has been active in the community for a long time, he believes. That is the kind of association he was looking for after leaving his position as a national training director in the company's office in Illinois.
“In the national office, the work was excellent, but I missed being in a local community,” Kramer said.
Working with children attracted Kramer to his first position as a YMCA camp director after he couldn't find a job with the Boy Scouts of America. That was when “the YMCA found me,” he said.
“When I was a camp director, I got to wear shorts and lead games with kids,” Kramer said. “Now I wear suits and work with administrators.”
Each kind of work can be right at a certain point in a person's life, he explained.
“I don't need to sleep on the ground anymore,” he added.
