Unwavering Servant Leadership With Louis Lopez and the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.
Searching for a summer job while finishing school, Louis Lopez’s first position at his YMCA in San Antonio, Texas, was as a youth sports director.
Near the beginning of the new millennium in 1999, Lopez said he didn’t initially view the job as a career choice. He instead saw it as a learning and growing opportunity. However, it would start a decades-long journey, eventually bringing him to a watershed moment in his hometown; in November 2022, Lopez became the first person of color to be named president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio in its 148 years of existence in the community.
“To be somebody who first started with the Y at such a young age from an underserved community, that’s the American Dream,” said Stacy Oksenberg, the chief human resources and strategy officer at the Y. “You can take a kid from the west side of San Antonio and with support, passion and vision, they can grow up to be the president and CEO. He’s a testament to the power of hard work.”
While Lopez also sees the honor as a milestone for himself and the entire YMCA, he wants the distinction to be a springboard for his hometown.
“It reflects commitment from our board to embrace different perspectives and foster equity,” said Lopez. “Diversity in leadership is critical because it brings so many different perspectives from those we serve. It’s the only way we’re going to figure out what’s best for our communities. My leadership style has always been that of empathy and communication. I think that style has really positioned me uniquely to lead our YMCA.”
A Servant Leader
Lopez’s ascension came at a unique time in the Y’s history. After years of growth through the 2010’s and enduring the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization was prepared to take another step forward.
“We really wanted to figure out how to ensure we would move from surviving to thriving,” said Lopez. “This hasn’t been without challenges which recently includes resource shortages and competition in the market. All of those things we had to work through, but we really have tried to foster innovation and resiliency.”
With obstacles and big goals facing the organization, the new CEO’s first step was to gather information from the Y’s branches.
According to Veronica Wong-Rizo, the senior vice president of operations, Lopez took the leadership team along with him on listening tours at each of the Y’s locations.
“Through that, he was able to make adjustments throughout the YMCA,” said Wong-Rizo. “Where he didn’t make adjustments, he made sure to still provide feedback so staff knew he was listening. As leaders, we tagged along, listened and were part of Q&As. It was great to be part of that and learn about the direction we needed to go. He’s come in and created this cohesiveness within our staff culture.”
This level of attention to staff was not surprising to Wong-Rizo who was first hired by Lopez 11 years ago when he was serving as a district vice president. Upon her hiring, Lopez gifted Wong-Rizo a book which focused on servant leadership titled “Seven Pillars of Servant Leadership: Practicing the Wisdom of Leading by Serving.”
Not long into the assignment, Wong-Rizo saw the ideas expressed in the pages reflected the mindset of her colleague.
“Louis has always been a big-vision type of leader, but he definitely wants to make sure he serves his staff and others first,” said Wong-Rizo. “He wants to make sure you’re always growing and developing. He wants to know what kinds of pathways he can provide for you. That book really mapped out how he was as a leader. Fast forward to now, and the vision is still a priority around staff. I think that’s why people follow him. He’s super personable and big on relationships.”
After the listening tours, Lopez focused on building a strong and diverse board to fortify the Y while also ensuring the organization’s vision and mission were clear.
“We had to make sure everyone was bought in and understood the why of the YMCA,” said Lopez. “Then, people needed to know what success looks like and expectations needed to be clear. Unrealistic expectations lead to unmet expectations. I rely so much on our board and volunteers not only for strategy and support, but for helping us to be in the right communities and for accountability.”
Uniquely San Antonio
Being in all communities within San Antonio is especially important as the city is a melting pot of different cultures. For example, Oksenberg said around 65% of citizens are of Latino/Hispanic descent. That stat is reflected at the Y.
“We have around 1,700 total employees right now — most of who are women and Hispanic — who can now see a leader they consider to be their peer and friend in Louis,” said Oksenberg. “He’s somebody who’s really able to walk the walk instead of just giving lip service. It’s very important our young kids and staff see someone like them.”
Along with representative leadership, another way the Y is accurately serving all communities is through its wide reach. While around 80% of what the Y does is within the city limits, the organization serves Bexar, Comal, Guadalupe, Kendall and Wilson counties, along with the cities of Schertz and Cibolo, Texas.
Wong-Rizo said to keep all the Y’s branches afloat throughout the wide area, the organization has relied upon the city of San Antonio as a trusted partner.
“What’s unique about our association is our partnerships with the city,” said Wong-Rizo. “In some cases, the city has built the facility, and the YMCA manages it. That shows how we can be a trusted organization. One of our new locations even has a city library in it.”
The city also allows the Y to host Siclovia — the largest health and wellness event in San Antonio — each year. The family-friendly, free celebration turns streets within a three-mile radius in the city into a safe place for exercise and play.
The Y accomplishes this by activating parks, bringing exposure to local businesses and inviting community organizations to be sponsors. Participants can enjoy walking, biking, exercise classes, activities for youth, treats for their pets, food trucks and more.
“We have that ability to deploy our footprint and rally around city events and cultural celebrations that give this Y a uniqueness,” said Oksenberg. “While we celebrate everything about San Antonio, we also celebrate what it means to be part of the Texas Hill Country and to have our military-serving branches in Schertz. We are a very welcoming community if you look at San Antonio demographically. I think the Y embodies that spirit as well.”
Vision 2030
While the association is ensuring all communities within the area are being served, Lopez wanted to lay a clear foundation for the future upon being named president and CEO.
That foundation is a strategic plan for the YMCA called Vision 2030. The overall mission of this initiative is creating a community where all people experience improved quality of life through belonging and well-being.
“Working on a vision plan takes people with different strengths and talents together toward a common goal,” said Lopez. “We’re excited to share our work with staff and Y members, parents, youth, community partners, and even those who may not engage with the Y. Vision 2030 is a journey where everyone plays a crucial role, from our dedicated staff to our valued members and community partners.”
The vision is wrapped around four pillars based on community feedback — People, Purpose, Places and Programs. Each pillar has three core strategies to ensure the plan is clear for all staff.
Oksenberg said the leadership team spent most of 2023 working together to develop Vision 2030. The Y even hired a consultant, went to workshops and worked closely with the board.
“Vision 2030 is our baby,” said Oksenberg. “We spent all last year developing it. The most important thing about the plan is it belongs to all of us. All our fingerprints are on it, and we all feel a sense of pride around our four pillars. Our first pillar is people which is very important to me. I believe it’s the right priority to be first.”
The Y is so motivated by the initiative that staff scores quarterly how well they believe the organization is making progress on each pillar. Their performance is also individually graded upon each of the four categories.
While enthusiasm and belief in the plan remains high, Oksenberg said several new ideas have been employed around Vision 2030 to ensure passion from staff continues to grow. These strategies include a launch party, visiting every branch to meet with staff and hiring a strategic projects coordinator.
“It’s a very broad vision that’s aspirational and bigger than the Y,” said Oksenberg. “It’s a heavy lift, but it’s so nice to have these four pillars we can all rally around and use to ask the tough questions if something doesn’t fit. It’s been a fantastic exercise, and it has bonded our senior leadership team in a way that’s strengthened us.”
Everlasting Support
To further provide support for Vision 2030, the Y is installing unique programs and strategies to guarantee higher quality of life is achieved.
Such initiatives include integrating licensed counselors into the Y’s branches to combat the mental health crisis, extending operating hours to make facility access easier, and starting a new partnership with the Texas nonprofit Aid the Silent to offer swim lessons for kids who are deaf and hard of hearing.
But despite effective programming and operations, such lofty goals cannot be achieved without effective leadership. That’s why Lopez is urging progress in the Greater San Antonio area through his philosophy of a serve-first, empowering mindset.
Because of his style and the collective power and buy-in from staff, the Y is positive it will continue to make a difference in the community for decades to come.
“As I look ahead, I’m inspired by the potential to continue making a difference in the lives of those we serve,” said Lopez. “We will be 150 years old in 2026. What we’ve done well to remain relevant is we continue to respond to needs. We’re the oldest human service agency in San Antonio that’s not a university or hospital, which I’m so proud for us to say. We will continue to keep that culture and be here for another 150 years. Our story is one of continuous adaptation and unwavering support, making us a true pillar of strength in our community.”
