Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathy Lock.
Hi Kathy, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised near Carrollton, MO, and was one who said I would never live here once I finished college. Carrollton was way too small and didn’t have what I wanted in life. That’s what all 18-year-olds say, right? It took me a few years post-college and a big move to Nashville, TN, to realize home is really where all the important things are in life. Of course, having family, friends, and my fiancé living in Carrollton helped me decide to move back home. In 2009, happily married to my husband, Matt Lock, and now living in Carrollton, I realized there were some things missing that needed to be brought to the community, and that was a YMCA. As a Corporate Wellness and Park & Recreation major in college, I led the charge on how to start a YMCA branch in a small town. With lots of hard work and private fundraising, our small group of volunteers was able to do just that! We started a YMCA branch of the Grand River Area Family YMCA, Inc. Association, and developed everything from the ground up. At the time, I was a mother of one son and another one on the way, who was going to be facing some heart defect challenges at birth. With those scenarios, I served as the Interim Executive Director until we were able to hire a couple of full-time staff directors. Once we had staff hired and the Y was on its way, I served on the Carroll County Area YMCA board of directors for about three years. I had some YMCA knowledge as I was the Program Director at the Grand River Area Family YMCA branch in Chillicothe, MO, after college graduation in 2003. During this three-year term, I learned a lot about the YMCA operations, how to work in the non-profit sector, build relationships and more. All of this experience was before I jetted off to Nashville, TN, for a completely different role in Sales, which I credit a lot of my success to in the role I have today. Learning how to “sell” a product can teach a whole other skillset necessary in many other roles and positions. Fast forward to 2015, YMCA staffing was starting to change and the Executive Director role opened. With the YMCA being a huge part of my heart, soul, work and efforts in our small community, I decided to take on the position and have been here ever since. In the last 13 years, I have been part of monumental fundraising efforts. Annually, we raise nearly $100,000 for our operating budget and over the last 5 years, we raised over $6,000,000 for a capital campaign to renovate an old school building and add on a walking track and basketball gymnasium. If you asked our community 15-20 years ago if this was something that could ever be done here, the answer was a strong NO!!! With the right leadership, volunteers, staff, vision and efforts, it was done and done well. In April 2025, we moved into our brand new 33,000 sf facility, which is a highlight of our community. My husband, Matt, has played a pivotal role in volunteering to assist in the project, and my three children, Will, Jonny & Ben, will forever know the Y as part of our family.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Looking back from where I started with the Carroll County Area YMCA in 2015 as the Executive Director, I can name a handful of times where there have been situations that have brought me to tears because of the stress or an uncomfortable scenario that we needed to address. I am sure that is similar to everyone else in any position they hold; however, overall, my tenure as the Executive Director here has been a pretty smooth sailing ride. I chalk that up to wonderful staff, a strong board of directors, and incredible community support. The unique thing about our situation is the small size of our community, which presents its own challenge in having a small pool of candidates to fill different roles. Whether those roles are Y staffing, board members or donors, the small community can also be seen as a blessing. The blessing is that this community backs the Y and me personally when we face challenges. The staff I work with have become friends like family and some are neighbors who would go to the ends of the Earth with me if I asked them to do so. The board of directors I answer to are also friends, neighbors and sometimes distant relatives who know me so well that they tell me the hard truth when I need to hear it, or they are the first to line up and volunteer or provide guidance when I ask. It’s hard to brag on yourself and also awkward, but one thing I can do is lead a group of people to complete a goal when there are a strategic plan and clear vision. It makes it hard to say “no” to me when I believe so hard in the Y mission and the value it brings to our community. Oftentimes, when people think of the Y in our community, they think of me. So many people tell me I am the face of the Y. While that is a heavy load to carry and I feel so much responsibility for the success of our Y branch, it’s also a compliment that I will forever remember. My passion is so strong for the YMCA’s mission, it easily bleeds into our staff, volunteers and board of directors and collectively we make a very strong team. I could never carry the YMCA’s load and tasks without each of them. Because of this support, all of the challenges we face become a smooth road in the end. One specific challenge of this role that comes to mind is, obviously, COVID. COVID was not only mentally challenging for me and my staff but operationally for the Y. We experienced a financial dip during the temporary closure of our YMCA facility and some programming for a few months, but our community worked hard to continue to financially support and rise up to only have our YMCA succeed during COVID, post-COVID and today. Another most recent challenge was raising millions of dollars for a capital campaign in a small community, a county size of around 10,000 people. While that is county size, Carrollton is only a town of around 3,500 people. Being in a small community like this, our pool of fundraising efforts falls on the same businesses, families and individuals who tend to always support everything local. Not only did our locals support the fundraising effort, but we also successfully expanded our “ask” reach with state, federal and national grants and foundations. Now that this capital campaign challenge is nearing its end, I would have to admit, it’s been as smooth as it could have ever been. If you had asked me during the capital campaign, I am not sure I could have said it was all smooth as the stress level was off the charts. Today, I can sit back with a sigh of relief and confidently say, “Wow, what a thrilling but smooth ride.”
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am the current Executive Director of the Carroll County Area YMCA, Carrollton, MO. I started off as a volunteer to help begin this branch in 2012 while I was a stay-at-home mom. When the position was available in 2015, I felt it was time to put my name in the hat for the gig. In this role, I have led the operations and management of the branch from daily tasks like staff training, to teaching our indoor cycle class every Monday and Wednesday. I can be found cleaning up a mess that was left in the Y, scooping snow on a winter day, and fundraising for our annual campaigns. I prepare and present monthly board reports, manage our branch financials, recruit new members to the Y, and cover the Welcome Center desk. I also hang up corporate sponsor banners in the hall of the Y, volunteer to coach Y winners basketball teams and perform any other duties assigned. I chuckle when I write all of those tasks out on paper and include “other duties assigned” because if any of you who are reading are a manager and hire people with “any other duties assigned” on a job description, you know that is signing up for really anything that needs to be done in the organization. I am a person who will complete my job description duties, but will also be the first person to help out any other roles and needs when necessary. No, I don’t scoop snow every single day. No, I don’t clean up messes every day. No, I don’t coach Y Winners basketball every single day. It would be unfair to list only 10-20 specific duties that would describe “my job” because, being a leader and an Executive Director, my primary role is making sure this branch is successful, and to do so, I frequently have to blend job duty roles and help in other departments. I am certain most small business owners and leaders relate and do the same as well. Today, I was a substitute fitness instructor for our Senior Stretch ‘N Flex Class, while later today I am filling in at the Welcome Center for another staff member, and will wrap up my day with preparing financial statements for our upcoming board meeting later this month. In this role, I needed to make sure everyone knew what value the YMCA brought to the community as well as the benefits of membership, developmental programming, and social responsibility. I recite the old quote, “You won’t work a day in your life if you love the job you have,” or something close to that quote, and that’s exactly how I feel. I very rarely wake up in the morning and go to work (minus those few stressful times I mentioned earlier in the challenge section of the interview). I wake up every day to live the YMCA mission and receive all of the benefits the YMCA brings to people. My cup is filled nearly every single day because of something I get to do with our YMCA. Now, YMCA work aside, to answer what I am most proud of?? To answer that, it’s of course my amazing husband Matt, and my wonderful three sons Will, Jonny & Ben. They’re my number one and the reason for my existence. The YMCA just happens to be my “fourth” child I am proud of.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
The YMCA has a TON of support and collaboration with local organizations. The Carrollton R-7 School District, The Carroll County Memorial Hospital, The City of Carrollton, The County of Carroll (both governmental bodies), The Carrollton Public Library, The Carrollton FFA, all athletic teams, and Shapes Dance & Acro/Taking Shape are all enormous collaborators who give time, volunteers, facilities, or staffing to assist the YMCA in its programming efforts and mission. I mention these local collaborators and supporters because they are some of the biggest reasons why we have been successful in Carroll County over the last 13 years. As we seek new partners and collaborators, we look for organizations or businesses that have similar missions and goals to the YMCA. For example, we just launched a new non-profit partnership with the area senior center, Care Connections for Aging Services. They have been looking for a location to have a senior center since COVID. They are now a tenant in our new YMCA and will be providing necessary services that maybe we were unable to do, but align with our goals. We are thrilled to have a Senior Center inside our YMCA. The sky is the limit when it comes to new ideas and partnerships with a YMCA so if someone reading this is eager to explore partnerships in our community, please contact me. We have found that some of the best programs have come from simple conversations and ideas that eventually turn into something immensely real. As far as support, we are a non-profit, 501 c 3 organization that continues to have to grind in the fundraising efforts. Every non-profit knows how challenging fundraising can be. I would fail our YMCA if I did not make the “ask” in this article. The ask is this: would you support a non-profit that shares similar values and missions as you, or looking to support youth who cannot afford to be part of our YMCA? Would you support our programming, our licensed childcare and summer camps, our food programs that feed hundreds of kids each day, or senior citizens who may not be able to afford Y memberships by giving a tax-deductible contribution to the Carroll County Area YMCA? Each year, the needs increase, and the fundraising goal is raised so we can continue to impact those who need just that and more. Our small YMCA branch recognizes EVERY penny that is given, as we could not do what we do without those gifts. Please reach out to me at [email protected] if you have collaboration ideas, questions, or need more information on how you can give. I thank you for your consideration.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.carrollcountyareaymca.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarrollCountyAreaYmca
Image Credits
Image Credits for both photos: April Austin Images
