Sokthea Phay, a student in the MA in Nonprofit management, has been named the next Executive Director of the Wang YMCA of Greater Boston. He is the first individual of Khmer (Cambodian) descent to be appointed to the Executive Director role of a YMCA in the United States.
At the age of 19, Sokthea started his professional career as the founding staff at the YMCA in Cambodia, where he founded the Cambodian Street Children and Youth Program. At age 24, Phay moved to the United States through the U.S Department of State’s Diversity Visa Program. Phay was formerly the Community Operations Director at the YMCA of Greater Long Beach in the United States of America.
As a representative of World YMCA United Nations Advocacy Group, Phay said, “For sustainable development, we need to decrease irresponsible use of natural resources, minimize food waste, and reduce unsustainable consumption of wildlife.”
The worldwide YMCA Movement, which works to provide young people with safe spaces and opportunities to take an active role in transforming their communities, is 177 years old and reaches roughly 65 million people annually across 119 countries. The YMCA has a vision of dignity, equity and compassion in the following four key areas of operation – Health, Environment, Civic Engagement, and Employment.
