People believed in Y kid; now he’s executive director
CHILLICOTHE – Sometimes you just need someone to believe in you.
“I spent a lot of high school wandering aimlessly toward a career,” recalled Steve Clever. “I knew I wanted to go to college but didn’t have a master plan going into it. The difference maker for me was having people in my life who believed in my potential when I didn’t. I had a few family members who saw things I definitely did not at the time, and several teachers who went the extra mile to invest in me. You can’t overstate how big a deal it is to help a kid see their own potential, and I’ve sort of tried to make a career out of that.”
Today, Clever is chief executive officer of the YMCA of Ross County.
“The YMCA career,” he said, “has been one of those things where people invested in me, and I was fortunate to seize the opportunity.”
Now 41, Clever grew up in Hallsville and Kingston and then later moved to Pleasant Valley. He graduated from Unioto in 1998, then went to Ohio University
in Athens for undergrad and graduate school. His master’s is in social work, and he’s a licensed independent social worker in Ohio.
After graduate school, Clever spent 10 years working for nonprofits in the area, providing counseling, family therapy and education, and group services for at-risk youth.
“In 2008,” he said, “I was working at Sojourners in Mcarthur when my boss, Rich Games, asked me about serving on the YMCA’S board of directors. He knew I was a Y kid – my brother and I spent two summers in the early ’90s in the YMCA’S Summer Day Camp – and that I was an active member at that time. I was 28, and had no idea what a board did, much less how to be on one. He encouraged me to give it a go, and I did. I served on the board for six years, serving as vice chair and chair during my last few years. It gave me an opportunity to serve an organization that I believed in and learn a lot about our community.”
“In 2014,” Clever continued, “when we had a transition in our CEO position, it was a moment that caused me to reflect on what my career mission was
about. I talked with a number of my professional mentors, and had long conversations with my wife, Becky. I was 33 and had spent my career to that point in direct service to at-risk youth and thought about the potential for a YMCA to have a broader impact in strengthening and investing in the youth in our community.
But I had no experience to lean on to suggest that I was capable of running an organization with the rich history and scale of the YMCA. But people I trusted believed in me and encouraged me to apply.”
Clever became the Y’s CEO in May 2014.
“Steve and I served together on the board for a short time,” said Mike Throne, president and CEO of the Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce, “and I quickly found him to be a leader who acts urgently, but with measure and judgment. He’s taken the Ross County Y into a new realm and has emerged as a solid community partner with many organizations.”
“Without the adults who believed in me,” Clever said, “I have no idea what I would be doing right now but it wouldn’t be anything like this. And that’s what we’ve done here at the YMCA for the past eight-plus years. We’ve built all of our programs around connecting with youth, adults, and seniors to give them the support they need to thrive in today’s world. Yes, the YMCA has a gym, workout space, and a pool. But those are just vehicles to impact the people who use them and make their lives better.”