CEO Of Joliet YMCA To Retire After 40 Years: Report

JOLIET, IL — Jim Watts, CEO of Joliet YMCA, will retire this fall, The Herald-News reports. He has worked for the organization in various roles for over 40 years.

According to the publication, his retirement will be official once his replacement is hired and trained. Watts expects his retirement will come around September.

“It combined two things that are part of me, that make me who I am: my Christian faith and my love for health and wellness,” Watts told the publication about his career at the Y.

Watts first began working for the Elmhurst YMCA in 1981, according to his profile on the YMCA's website.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in community health education from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Watts worked for over 20 years in several positions at the YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee.

Prior to his arrival in Joliet, Watts held the position of vice president of the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis. He has been Joliet YMCA's president and CEO since 2012.