Association Leadership

 

Gil Fonger

Executive Vice President of Development and Marketing

As the Executive Vice President of Development and Marketing for the Y, Gil Fonger oversees the Association's fundraising activities, including its annual, major gifts, corporate, foundation, branch and capital campaigns. He is also responsible for membership and program marketing as well as all communications to key YMCA stakeholder groups.

 

Gil began his career at the Y in April 2001 as the executive director of the Foglia YMCA in Lake Zurich, Illinois. In July 2002, he was named group vice president of the suburban north group and continued his role at the Foglia YMCA. He was appointed senior vice president of operations in 2006. He took on his present role in August 2007.

 

Gil grew up at the Lowell YMCA near Grand Rapids, Michigan and was an avid participant in the Junior and Senior Hi-Y, swimming, camping and basketball programs. He was the board chair of a local YMCA and member of the Metro board in Central Florida immediately prior to joining the professional staff of the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago.

 

Previous to his YMCA employment, Gil served as pastor and before that as an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard. He served in the military for five years active duty and five years in the reserves prior to his honorable discharge in 1989.

 

Gil earned his master's of business administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in 2006. He earned his Senior Director certification in 2005. He also holds a master's of divinity degree from Duke University and an undergraduate degree from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.