In a significant development, Jennifer Walker has been appointed as the new Chair of the Board of Trustees at YMCA Milton Keynes (MK) from Jan 2024. Jennifer has a background in philanthropy, grant-making and marketing and brings a wealth of experience to her new role.
“I am honoured to take on the role of Chair at YMCA Milton Keynes, an incredible organisation making a real positive change to young people’s lives and benefiting our local community. Last year alone YMCA MK supported 371 young people with a home: providing settling in, finding employment and gaining independence support. I am looking forward to progressing this important work over the next three years to ensure we expand our work in the community, build affordable move-on accommodation and develop a mental health service for our young people and deliver social enterprises to provide sustainable income. I am proud to be the Chair of an organisation dedicated to youth homelessness and look forward to working alongside our focused Board and Senior Leadership Team to deliver on our ambitious strategy.” Jennifer Walker, Chair, YMCA MK.
This transition marks the conclusion of Julia Upton’s tenure as Chair. Julia has played a pivotal role in overseeing 3 years of significant change at YMCA MK and her dedication and leadership have not gone unnoticed. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Julia for her invaluable service, and we are delighted that she will continue to contribute her expertise by remaining on the board to offer support in the coming year.
Additionally, we bid farewell to Cheryl Montgomery, who has dedicated an impressive 14 years of service to YMCA MK. Cheryl’s commitment has left an indelible mark on YMCA MK and her contributions will be remembered with gratitude.
While these changes are a result of natural transitions the core values of YMCA MK remain the same. We remain committed to supporting young people living on campus and in the wider community to achieve their potential. Although times are challenging we are confident that with Jennifer’s support and guidance we can ensure young people in MK have the opportunity to belong, contribute and thrive and we are excited about the future.
“I am thrilled to welcome Jenny as the new Chair of YMCA MK. In challenging times I’m confident that with Jenny’s support our charity’s future is bright and exciting. I am proud to note that this marks the third consecutive term with a female chair, a testament to the strength and diversity of our leadership. Huge thanks to outgoing Chair Julia, whose dedication and support have paved the way for our continued success. Together, we look forward to making a lasting impact on the lives of local young people.” Simon Green, CEO, YMCA MK.
For further details about the leadership team at YMCA MK please visit our website https://mkymca.com/who-we-are/.
