Meet CYC's Interim President and CEO
/On August 9th, 2024, Tina Ayala transitioned into her role as Interim President and CEO of CYC. With 29 years of experience within our organization, we are proud to have such a strong, knowledgeable, and passionate leader for our team during this interim period. We sat down to chat with Tina and are excited to share more about her journey with CYC, her deep understanding of the agency, and her continued commitment to our mission with you!
Could you tell us a little about yourself?
I started at CYC about 30 years ago as a Social Work Intern from Loyola University. I am a married mother of two daughters, who are both products of CYC! They both attended the Early Learning Program as well as the Summer Fun Program.
What drew you to social work, and why CYC?
I was placed at CYC for my internship by my professor at Loyola. My passion has always been youth. I was always the babysitter and the one who volunteered. In high school, I would coach cheerleading programs at the park district. I always knew my passion was for community and being somehow involved in creating positive change.
You have held several positions at CYC over the years, can you share more about your CYC story?
Tina and fellow staff members at our August All-Staff In-Service, posing with their Del Arsenault Staff Recognition nominations.
I was placed in the Bridgeport community for my initial internship, which continued into a long-term tenure at Fellowship House. Once I graduated, I applied for a Youth Worker position and worked with the 9 to 12–year–olds and in Chicago Public Schools on behalf of CYC. I then transitioned to being the Lead Youth Worker of the Teen Program. After the Teens, I moved on to be a Program Manager, then I was a Center Director for, I believe, 8 or 9 years. Now, for the past 6 years, I have been on the Executive Leadership Team. It has been such an honor to evolve, grow, and find a home at CYC.
What have been some of your favorite memories at CYC?
I am really committed to community service. One of the things I am most proud of is when the teens were involved in Community Service Club. [I would help them] learn about a different social challenge each month, then there would be a monthly outing in the community. For example, one month we talked about homelessness, and during that month we made sandwiches and cocoa and brought that into the community. When we talked about food insecurities, we went to St. Pius Church where we would volunteer in the food pantries. This Service Club ultimately turned into an international trip where we were able to fundraise and partner with an organization in Jalisco, Mexico. Four youth and I brought toys, toiletries, and clothing over for families in the area. Since this was around the winter holiday season, we were able to participate in an event with the Agency for Integral Family Development where we dressed as Santa and elves to give out the toys and clothes as gifts.
What are you looking forward to most during your time as Interim President and CEO?
Tina presenting at the university of augsburg in germany
I am excited and curious to see where this role takes me. I plan to keep intentionally investing in our culture of working together and growing the team's confidence and expertise. I also look forward to helping expand our capacity to continue delivering quality programming in CYC communities. I aim to ensure those we serve reflect the diverse communities in Chicago. I remain committed to bringing our programs to the larger community of Chicago, so that those who do not know who we are can learn how great we are as an agency!
What existing strategic focus areas are you looking to continue investing in at CYC?
I am looking to really build up our staff’s capacity. The work our team does each day can be tough, and funding is a challenge our programs continue to face. So, I plan to continue digging in further on funding opportunities, program visibility, and partnerships. This will help support our organizational priorities that include hiring more staff. Growing our talented team of professionals is essential to continuing to improve the quality of our programs.
Internally, we have been talking about why we are “Proud to be CYC”. What makes you most proud to be part of this organization?
I think what I am most proud of about being part of CYC is the smiles that you see every day. Whether that smile is from a staff member, a child, or a parent. I also feel pride knowing that we offer so many valuable resources to our community. It just feels amazing to have the capability to do that. I want to continue to offer equitable access to the resources, experiences, mentors, and safe spaces that children, families, and communities need to be their best selves.
The CYC Team is stepping into our Fall Programming season with confidence and enthusiasm knowing that we have such a brilliant leader overseeing our organization! As always, we look forward to sharing our ongoing impact and the holistic support CYC will continue to provide during Tina’s time as Interim President and CEO.
Thank you to each of our supporters for being part of the CYC family and helping us bring smiles, experiences, and resources to communities across Chicago! If you want to help continue to bring high quality programming to more children and families, you can follow the link below to donate.