Organization: YMCA of the USA

Location: Chicago, IL

Greg Waibel

Chief Operating Officer

Greg Waibel became the Chief Operating Officer for YMCA of the USA (U-USA) in August, 2025, the national resource office for the Y – a leading nonprofit committed to strengthening community through youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. Collectively, the nation’s YMCAs engage more than 17.4 million members – including 6.4 million of whom are under the age of 19 – annually and represent $9 billion in annual revenue.

Prior to joining YUSA, Greg was the President and CEO of the YMCA of Honolulu and led the organization for 5 years. He helped guide the organization through the pandemic and has positioned the organization for the next evolution of change as community needs continue to evolve and the Y is now even better positioned to meet community needs. Accomplishments during his tenure included starting programs to address youth mental health through prevention and intervention strategies including writing and getting legislative bill passed in Hawai’i legislature to support teen mental health wellness programming. He also led a strategy to redevelop their largest urban location which included fundraising and various funding strategies to bring forward that vision.

Prior to serving as CEO of the YMCA of Honolulu, Waibel was the Chief Operating Officer at the YMCA of the North (YMCAN) that serves the metro, southeastern and northern areas of Minnesota and western Wisconsin. With 28 branches, 8 overnight camps, 10 day camps and more than 90 child care sites, YMCAN is the third largest YMCA in the USA. Prior to that, Waibel served as Chief Financial Officer, Chief Information Officer and Vice President of Operations for the YMCA of Greater Saint Paul. In recognition for his work at the YMCA, Waibel was named Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal’s CFO of the Year in 2009 and 2013.

Prior to joining the YMCA, Waibel spent 13 years in the for-profit sector in various senior leadership roles in the international agriculture biotech sector and merger/acquisition activity, finance, and operations.

Waibel received his undergraduate degree in accounting from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN and his MBA in finance and strategic management from the University of Minnesota. He also speaks Spanish and Portuguese fluently.