Tylar Sutton
The face of Community
As a mom searching for a preschool, Jill Kolesar took the advice of a neighbor and visited the Riverfront YMCA in Cuyahoga Falls. She wasn’t impressed, but the neighbor insisted that it was the best, so Kolesar gave it another try. That time, she looked beyond the old building and into the heart of what makes it the Y: The people. Kolesar enrolled her children, volunteered on projects (including a committee to get a new building) and became a staff member.
Kolesar became the executive director of the Longwood YMCA in Akron, then the Riverfront YMCA. In 2016, she was named the first female president and CEO of the Akron Area YMCA, leading six membership branches, two program branches, eight early care and education sites and two residential camps. All the while, her kids did everything the Y offered and she continued the tradition by enrolling her granddaughter in Y’s early care and education program.
Her story is a testament to the Y’s 150-year legacy of impacting many people. Kolesar is proud of everyone in the Y family for making a difference daily and opening the Y’s doors to welcome all.
Akron Area YMCA
330-376-1335
