Dennis Schoenebeck, CEO of Greater Wichita YMCA, to retire

Dennis Schoenebeck, who oversaw a period of huge growth at the Greater Wichita YMCA, said Wednesday that he will retire on Jan. 1, 2016.

Schoenebeck, 63, has served as CEO of the Greater Wichita YMCA for the past 25 years, the longest tenure in the organization’s 130-year history, according to a news release.

He had served in executive roles at YMCAs in Minnesota and his hometown of Green Bay, Wis., before coming to Wichita in 1990.

“It’s always difficult after 40 years to bring closure to that,” he said. “It’s been extremely fun and rewarding, what we’ve been able to accomplish, and that makes it even tougher.”

When he arrived in Wichita, the YMCA had 135 employees, a budget of $1.8 million, and three locations and a child care center that served 20,000 participants each year, the release said. The YMCA now employs more than 1,400 people and serves more than 20,000 people daily through eight full-service facilities, three indoor sport centers (one is still being built) and more than 200 community-based program sites.

“It was a very different organization at that time,” Schoenebeck said of the YMCA in 1990. “The Y just wasn’t reaching its potential as a community service organization – there was more that needed to be done.”

Schoenebeck said he and the YMCA’s volunteer board decided to focus on a few primary areas: aquatics, youth sports, child care, summer camps, wellness activities and after-school activities. He said he also made it a goal to broaden accessibility to the YMCA.

“I think we’ve done a pretty good job at that,” he said. “It’s not a gym. It’s not a club. It’s a not-for-profit organization that’s here to benefit the community, a volunteer-led grassroots operation.”

Jim Korroch, YMCA chairman of the board, said in a statement: “Dennis Schoenebeck has been a tireless advocate for children and families in this community. Thousands benefit every day from our YMCA, and thanks to his vision the organization has never been stronger than it is today.”

Schoenebeck said he will continue to work to accomplish the YMCA’s 2015 goals before his retirement.

“The Y is in a good position, and I think sometimes directors can stay a little longer than they should,” he said. “After 25 years it’s a good time to pass the baton to somebody else. We have a strong board, strong volunteer participation and great staff.”

Former YMCA board chairwoman Marilyn Pauly will lead the effort to hire a new CEO. The process is expected to take six to nine months, the release said.

“It’s a good Y,” Schoenebeck said. “It’s positioned to do bigger and better things, and I think the right person will be picked to do that.”

Schoenebeck said he is not sure what comes next for him, though a return to Wisconsin may not be out of the question.

“That’s where I was born and raised,” he said. “I have siblings there, I’ve got grandkids to spend time with and fish to catch. And Packers games to attend.”

This story was originally published February 18, 2015 at 12:26 PM with the headline "Dennis Schoenebeck, CEO of Greater Wichita YMCA, to retire."