In mid-March, at the Ohio Alliance of YMCA conference, which represents 45 YMCA associations in the state, named Bramer CEO of the Year, unbeknownst to him. Though his local team knew about it, he said.
“I think the local team knew about it about a week before the conference, so they’ve got good poker faces because they never let on,” he said.
Equally, it was a surprise for John at the beginning of April when he earned a similar honor with the Ohio Alliance of Boys & Girls Club. John and Bramer both said their respective CEO of the Year honors are not unlike a quarterback winning MVP — it’s far from an individual award.
“My job is to tell people about the great stuff our staff is doing with the kids, so I get to share there great work,” said John. “My job is to get the resources and ensure they have what they need to do their job, and we have a lot of great people that work with kids every day.”
Bramer said the award was a reflection of the 400 employees and countless number of volunteers and community partners.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
“It’s just a team that’s doing great work, having great impact and I’m just honored to being part of that team,” he said.
They also said it’s a reflection on the city of Hamilton that attracted them to seek running a nonprofit in the first place.
Bramer relocated from Louisville, Kentucky to succeed Woody Fitton as CEO of the Great Miami Valley YMCA three years ago. It was the same for John, who will celebrate leading the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hamilton three years later this year.
“When I arrived three years ago, I said I stand on the shoulders of people that helped revitalized Hamilton,” said Bramer, who worked for the YMCA in Kentucky for 32 years before coming to Hamilton. “I think we’re just riding that wave of energy, excitement, growth and it brings everybody up, including the nonprofits that serves the community.”
John has had a 14-year career with Boys & Girls Clubs which include agencies in Indiana and Florida before coming to Hamilton. He said organizations like his and the YMCA “is critical” for a community.
It’s even more critical to have great leaders, he said, for two “very, very important organizations for our community” as it continues to grow and attract new families.
”We need more resources and amenities," he said. “Hopefully, when people come and see what the great things the nonprofits in Hamilton are doing, they’ll say, ‘Hey, this is a great place to raise my family and I want to be a part of what’s happening here.’ We need all those things happening simultaneously to be a successful in what’s happening.”
Both men started out working part-time for their respective organizations. John, who worked as a teacher after graduating from Purdue University, wanted to do more for the youth after they left school for the day. He worried about them, and so he worked the Boys & Girls Clubs after school.
Bramer started out as a seasonal YMCA employee as an 18-year-old, and two years later was hired on full-time as a 20-year-old sports director. “I loved every minute of it. I can’t see myself doing anything else,” he said. “The Y exists to help people reach their full potential, and what a great organization to have that as their mission.”
John stuck with it because he “realized the impact mentors after school and make in the lives of the kids,” he said. “We need strong school systems and we need strong after school systems for our families and communities to be successful.”
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