April 9, 2007
Mike LaBella
Eagle Tribune

HAVERHILL - Tracy Fuller doesn't think there's anything strange about a woman running what has long been considered a place for men.
She says a lot of women are in charge of YMCAs across America. And why not? Organizations such as Haverhill's YMCA are considered family-friendly places that serve everyone | men, women and children.
"I am the first woman director for Haverhill's (YMCA), but I think that nationally more women work at YMCAs than men," she said.

Since last week, Fuller, 34, has been the boss at the "Y.'' She replaces longtime Executive Director Gregg Thompson, who is now working at the organization's headquarters in Beverly.
Fuller, who lives in Londonderry, N.H., with her husband and two children, said she has been part of the YMCA family for the last 19 years.

She doesn't see herself as a director who sits behind the desk all day dressed in a business suit. You can probably find her in the exercise room chatting with members about the quality of the equipment or what new programs are desired.

"I like to work out, meet our members, blend in and listen to what they have to say," she said. "I look at this facility and I see even more opportunities to expand: opportunities for new youth programs, the creation of a gymnastics team, more programs for baby boomers and our active adult population, and expanding our summer camp program at Tricklin' Falls in Kingston, N.H. The sky is the limit as there are so many ways the Y can positively impact this community."
Fuller's first job was working as a summer camp counselor in her native city of Manchester, N.H.
"When I was a teenager I became a volunteer basketball coach, and over time I got even more involved in the Y," she said.

Working in a social service type of organization appealed to her so much that she switched her college major at Notre Dame College in New Hampshire from biochemistry to education and psychology. While home from college one summer, she met her future husband.

"We were both summer camp counselors for the Y," she said.
Fuller devoted 13 years to working with the Y in Manchester in various roles, then five years at the Beverly, Mass., YMCA. "My resume is one long YMCA with little addendums along the way," she joked.
She transferred to the Haverhill YMCA a year ago and helped develop and launch a successful after-school program for children.

"We just expanded to 52 children, and we hope to continue growing," she said.
The Haverhill YMCA is also growing, says Fuller. Over the last eight months, it has doubled its membership to the current level of around 4,000.

Fuller says the Haverhill YMCA's $7.5 million renovation project, which was completed last year, has been a boom to the organization.  "We were able to double the number of resident rooms (apartments) to 52. We opened a new gymnastics center, built a new climbing wall, installed new locker rooms and expanded our fitness center," she said.

Fuller's family is very involved in the YMCA, too. She and her husband, Robert, and their sons, Joel, 1, and Alex, 3, often come to the Haverhill YMCA on weekends to swim.

Haverhill YMCA at a glance
Membership: About 4,000
Residents: 52
Recent renovation: $7.5 million
Part- and full-time employees: About 100
Annual budget: $1.7 million
Sources of funding: Membership dues and program fees, annual "Y for All" campaign, state grants and contributions
Motto: "We don't turn anyone away because of inability to pay."

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