Leadership Team
Partnered with the Board of Directors, the YMCA of Owen Sound Grey Bruce Leadership Team is committed to building healthy communities.
Sarah Cowley
Chief Executive Officer
Sarah lives in rural Grey County where she resides with her family and serves her local community, living the YMCA values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility. With over 15 years of operational and strategic leadership experience in health and social services, and having been responsible for local, regional, provincial and nationally-renowned programs, Sarah is an experienced and enthusiastic community leader who is known in the Grey Bruce community as someone who is passionate about building strategic and collaborative relationships that drive efficient, effective service delivery and positive outcomes for clients, staff and the communities at large. Sarah holds a Master in Nursing degree (University of Toronto) and is a Certified Health Executive (Canadian College of Health Leaders).
Gil Zulueta
Director of Finance
Gil Zulueta joined our YMCA in July 2021 as Director of Finance, overseeing the Finance department and providing support to the Finance & Audit Committee of the Board of Directors. Gil most recently worked for the Royal Ontario Museum and ROM Foundation as the Manager for Finance and the Enterprise Resource Planning System for 5 years. Prior to this, Gil was the Manager for Finance and Business Systems at the Ontario Institute of Technology in Toronto for 5 years, acted as the controller for the Toronto Region Research Alliance for 2 years, and was the lead Financial Analyst for the University Health Network Research Financial Services for 7 years. Prior to 2001, Gil held several increasingly responsible positions as an internal auditor, finance manager, controller, and business manager in large, complex, and international corporations, an international American school, not-for-profit institutions, and public accounting practices. Gil is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), Certified General Accountant (CGA), and Certified Public Accountant (CPA), has training in numerous financial programs, and has Lean Sigma training.
Carrie Saunders-Willis
Director of Human Resources and Health, Fitness & Aquatics
Cyndy Jefferson
Director of Child Care
Cyndy has been a long-time leader in the child care sector. A Registered Early Childhood Educator (RECE), Cyndy has worked in the child care field for over 33 years, including 29 years working for the YMCAs of Cambridge & Kitchener-Waterloo, holding the positions of Supervisor, Director of Operations, and eventually becoming General Manager where she provided strategic leadership and tactical oversight of 15 licensed child care and youth development programs. Cyndy also provided leadership for the Student Nutrition Program that included contract oversight of delivery partners on behalf of the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services. Cyndy has also served her profession as an elected council member of the College of Early Childhood Educators that has included chairing the Registration Committee and the Finance and Audit Committee. On a personal note, Cyndy and her husband John are parents to 4 adult children and they have 3 beautiful granddaughters. As a family, they love spending time on the waters of Georgian Bay; boating, swimming and exploring the shoreline.
Nic Hayne
Director of Facilities
Matt Shute
Director of Community Initiatives & Employment Services
Matt came to the YMCA from CMHA Grey Bruce Mental Health and Addiction Services where he worked as the Director for Housing and Outreach Services. Prior to moving with his family to Grey Bruce, Matt lead the high and medium support housing services within the Addiction and Mental Health portfolio of St. Joseph’s Care Group in Thunder Bay for 11 years. Matt holds a Master of Social Work degree with a specialization in Organizational and Community Development from Lakehead University, and he also brings with him 20 years of experience in geriatric psychiatry, seniors’ health, youth in transition, dementia and responsive behaviours, rural and remote homelessness, supportive housing, supportive employment, health human resource recruitment and retention, quality and risk management, and Ministry funding proposals/managing budgets/reporting. Matt is affiliated with Addictions and Mental Health Ontario and the Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association, and also sits on numerous committees, including the National Alliance to End Rural and Remote Homelessness, Safer Supply Ontario Community of Practice, Grey Bruce Poverty Task Force, and Grey Bruce Mental Health and Addiction Network.
Megan "Scotia" Hutton
Director of Camp Presqu'ile (Rotary Club of Owen Sound Partnership)
Scotia most recently worked for YMCA Camp Pine Crest in Muskoka, Ontario for 5 years, where she was first the Assistant Summer Camp Director, and then the Summer Camp Director, before she moved into the Acting Program Manager role, where she oversaw both the Summer Camp and Outdoor Education Centre programs and was responsible for a staff team of almost 150 people. She was also the Virtual Summer Camp Director for the YMCA Canada Virtual Camp in summer 2020. Scotia’s entire career has been spent in YMCA camps, and she was with Camp Kandalore and Camp Otterdale in progressively responsible positions between 2008 and 2016.
Scotia’s educational background is as a Child and Youth Worker, and her love of working with children and youth really shines through! She brings to her new role expertise in: strategic planning; development of camp and outdoor education programs; quality and risk management and working within specific pieces of legislation and program standards; staff recruitment, training and supervision; outcome evaluation; and marketing and communications.
