As the Y begins an exciting year of serving our community in 2024, we are proud to announce that Cheri Rubocki will begin a two-year term as Chair of the Greater Joliet Area YMCA Board of Directors this month. Rubocki has spent the last two years as the Board’s vice chair, and has been a member of the Board for the last seven years. Rubocki’s term as chairman officially began last week, when she ceremoniously received the gavel from Past Chair Guy Christensen.

“It’s very humbling to be in a position like this for an incredible organization. The leadership team I have around me is amazing. The passion of our Y volunteers is inspiring, and I love being a part of it,” Rubocki said.

Rubocki, a Joliet native, has spent more than 30 years in the banking industry and currently serves as Senior Vice President and Director of Talent Acquisition for Old National Bank. Her relationship with the Y traces back to the year 2000 and the JETS swim team.

“That was the year my son joined the team, and my daughter joined the JETS the following year,” Rubocki said. “I started to learn more about the Y just by being around the facilities and meeting the employees. When I started to recognize the impact Y programs had on the community, specifically for children, that’s when I wanted to become more involved.”

Rubocki would go on to serve on the parent board of the JETS, and later joined the Galowich/Smith Family YMCA Advisory Council in 2015. She became a member of the Metro Board in 2018, and she credits the relationships she has built with other volunteers as a driving factor in her passion for the Y.

“It’s always the people. When I joined the advisory council, I had the opportunity to meet the board members and it was clear how much dedication and commitment these individuals had to help lead the Y,” she said. “And with people like President and CEO Katy Leclair driving the work the Y does every day, it’s easy to get excited about lending a helping hand.”

Rubocki is also excited about projects on the horizon, including the planned opening of the Morris Hospital YMCA in early 2025.

“I’m so impressed with the support local businesses and community partners have shown to make the Morris facility start to come to life,” she said. “I also can’t say enough about the work Guy Christensen, Kevin Olson, Missy Durkin and all the members of the Morris Capital Campaign Cabinet have done to put us in this position. We’re in a really great place.”

And whether it’s through free swim lessons in the Y’s Safety Around Water Program, or invaluable childcare at before and after school and summer day camp sites, Rubocki believes a continued emphasis on serving those in need is what will allow the Y to continue to make a huge impact in the communities we serve.

“My favorite thing about the Y is that we do not turn anyone away due to the inability to pay. Our doors are always open. That’s what differentiates us. Everything we do is tied to our mission and we stay focused on meeting the needs of our community,” she said.

On behalf of the Y, we’d like to thank Cheri for her continued leadership and wish her well in this new role.