NASHVILLE, TN – The YMCA of Middle Tennessee announced on November 2 that John Mikos has been named President and CEO of the mid-state association of YMCAs, which includes 14 family wellness centers, a 300-acre day- and resident-camp facility, the region’s largest network of before-and -after-school care sites, and a number of community-based outreach programs for youth and adults.

Mikos is a YMCA veteran of 25-plus years currently serving as the President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Kansas City (serving Kansas and Missouri), where he previously served as Chief Operating Officer. Prior to his time in Kansas City, Mikos spent 11 years as the Chief Operating Officer for the YMCA of Western North Carolina.

With assistance from the YMCA of the USA CEO Search team, Mikos was selected by a local CEO Selection Committee convened to identify the organization’s next leader.

The search committee was led by current YMCA of Middle Tennessee board chair Lawson C. Allen, and comprised of nine additional board members.

Allen said, “John has an incredible reputation nationally in the Y movement as a strategic and cause-driven leader, and we look forward to welcoming him to Middle Tennessee to continue the impactful work of our nonprofit organization.”

Mikos, a first-generation Greek American, said his family heritage and their experience as immigrants make the Y’s efforts to provide welcoming environments for people of all backgrounds especially resonant: “A lot has changed about the Y since its founding in London in 1844, but at its core has always been a commitment to meeting critical community needs. In the 1920s, for some YMCAs, that meant teaching English as a Second Language classes to newcomers. Today, it means helping people foster healthy lifestyles, ensuring our kids have the resources they need to succeed in the classroom and in life – and in this particular moment in our history, even supporting displaced Ukrainian refugees. That commitment to seeing and meeting a need is what attracted me to the Y, and it’s why I’m still here. I have long admired the YMCA of Middle Tennessee, and I cannot wait to be a part of the inspiring work in and around Nashville.”

Mikos has a BS in Business Finance and Organizational Communications from the University of Oklahoma. He and his wife Janet, a senior insurance claims consultant, have two adult children, Christian, 21, and Irina, 19.

Mikos will begin his new position in Nashville in January.

The YMCA of Middle Tennessee is the region’s leading nonprofit dedicated to strengthening community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Inspired by its mission as a worldwide charitable fellowship united by a common loyalty to Jesus Christ for the purpose of helping people grow in spirit, mind, and body, for more than 147 years, the YMCA of Middle Tennessee has been giving people of all ages the tools they need to belong and be well. Last year, the Y reached 171,485 people, improving the region’s health and well-being and providing opportunities to serve others and support its neighbors.