YMCA of Greater Toronto president retiring after 50 years of service

Medhat Mahdy served the YMCA for almost 50 years

Mississauga.com
March 15, 2023

After starting out almost half a century ago as a part-time tennis instructor, Medhat Mahdy has announced his retirement as president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Toronto.

After progressing in various roles throughout the organization, including moving to a leadership role at YMCA Canada, he became president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Toronto in 2010.

He is also the president of YMCA Ontario, which includes 14 regional YMCAs across the province.

“When I joined the Y back in 1976 as a part-time tennis instructor, I could not have imagined it would lead me on such a long and meaningful career working together to improve people’s well-being with more Ys, for more people, in more communities,” he said, in a March 13 news release.

The YMCA of Greater Toronto board of directors is currently completing a formal search for the next president and CEO and the successful candidate will be announced at a later date.

“Medhat Mahdy is a tremendous leader and he leaves a stable and able charity,” stated John MacIntyre, YMCA of Greater Toronto board chair, in the release. “It’s a legacy I’m confident will help generations to come reach their full potential.”

During his 12 years as president and CEO, Mahdy led a significant expansion of YMCA locations including the doubling of child-care centres to more than 300 sites and the opening of the Cooper Koo Family YMCA, the YMCA at The David Braley Vaughan Centre, the Steve and Sally Stavro YMCA, the Wagner Green YMCA for unhoused youth, and transitional housing for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth at YMCA Sprott House. Work continues on two additional centres of community currently planned in Toronto, one of which is under construction at Queen and Spadina.

He has championed the charity’s work on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB), including deepening the Y’s anti-Black racism efforts through staff training, the launch of the Black Achievers Mentorship program, and building a dedicated DEIB staff team, including a manager of Indigenous relationships as part of the Y’s commitment to truth and reconciliation.