\u201cIt\u2019s been a remarkable journey,\u201d he said. \u201cIf one were to script their final stop, I couldn\u2019t have written it any better.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Newspaper](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Untitled-6-14-1000x563.png\")
An early milestone in David Jezek\u2019s lifelong YMCA journey, captured as he receives his senior director certification from his father, Ed Jezek.<\/p>\n
Building more than buildings\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Jezek arrived in St. Petersburg, the organization had a $7 million operating budget and one main facility. Today, it serves thousands across multiple sites: three traditional branches, 25 public school sites offering before and after school programs and three preschool centers, with a fourth expansion underway.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m proud of that strategy of getting to children sooner rather than later,\u201d Jezek said. \u201cWe know we can have a stronger impact on those early years.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
MEET THE Y\u2019S NEW CEO: YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg names new CEO<\/a><\/p>\n One of his proudest accomplishments is the Speer YMCA<\/a>, a 19-acre joint campus shared with Mangrove Bay Middle School <\/a>that opened two years ago. The facility, funded through a partnership between the YMCA, the school district and private donors, has become a model for collaboration.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhat a great example of how public and private partnership <\/a>can come together to serve a neighborhood<\/a>,\u201d Jezek said. \u201cWe never expected that we would have 16,000 members at that one location.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The impact went beyond numbers. The partnership revitalized a once-overlooked neighborhood<\/a>. \u201cFamilies are now enjoying that asset,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s infused a lot of new energy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The People Business\u00a0<\/p>\n From the start, Jezek has believed the YMCA\u2019s true value lies in people, not property. \u201cYou can\u2019t take the buildings with you,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s the people, the impact they\u2019ve made on me and that I\u2019ve had the opportunity to make on others.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n He has done nearly every job at the Y including lifeguard, aerobics instructor, sports director and executive. \u201cWhen I pass by the front desk, I\u2019ve worked behind the front desk,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I see a lifeguard, I remember that was my first paying job.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n That perspective guided him through expansion, challenge and the pandemic years. It also shaped his approach to leadership succession.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m excited about the new CEO that\u2019s coming in, Nicci Bucher<\/a>,\u201d he said. \u201cI told her I\u2019m going to be her biggest fan.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Values that last\u00a0<\/p>\n Jezek\u2019s leadership philosophy is rooted in four words printed on YMCA walls across the country: caring, honesty, respect and responsibility. \u201cWhen you bring people together from all walks of life, you have to respect people from that perspective,\u201d he said. \u201cOtherwise, it doesn\u2019t work.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n RELATED: The Speer YMCA exhibits an educational and economic impact for the community<\/a><\/p>\n Those values extend to health and wellness programs<\/a> that reach beyond the gym. Under Jezek\u2019s leadership, the YMCA introduced programs such as Livestrong at the Y for cancer survivors<\/a> and Parkinson\u2019s support classes<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI look at the YMCA as one of the few that brings people together, for a common purpose, under one roof,\u201d he said. \u201cYou see community when you walk in the door.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Preparing for what\u2019s next\u00a0<\/p>\n Jezek, 65, says retirement does not mean slowing down. \u201cThe best advice I\u2019ve been given is don\u2019t retire from something, retire to something,\u201d he said. He plans to spend more time with his five grandchildren and pursue a master gardening program at Clemson University.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere were moments when I got choked up thinking about it,\u201d he admitted. \u201cBut there has to be a time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n When asked about his legacy, Jezek paused before recalling a childhood story. His father once led a YMCA in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and built a new gymnasium there. After the ribbon-cutting, young David made the first basket on the brand-new court. Soon after, his father announced the family was moving to a new post.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI said, \u2018Dad, you just finished building this gym,\u2019\u201d Jezek said. \u201cHe told me, \u2018I left it there. It\u2019s time for someone else.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think my legacy is just leaving it better than I found it,\u201d he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n READ: Why is Solomon Partners doubling down on Tampa\u2019s Water Street?<\/a><\/p>\n Why it matters\u00a0<\/p>\n Collaborative impact: The 19-acre YMCA-school partnership shows how shared capital and creative planning can stretch community resources.\u00a0<\/p>\n Investing early: Preschool programs and youth engagement strengthen families and the future workforce.\u00a0<\/p>\n By the numbers\u00a0<\/p>\n 18 years as CEO in St. Petersburg\u00a0<\/p>\n 42 years as a YMCA professional\u00a0<\/p>\n 3 traditional YMCA facilities, 25 school sites\u00a0<\/p>\n 3 preschool centers, 4 new infant and toddler rooms under construction\u00a0<\/p>\n 19 acres shared by the Speer YMCA<\/a> and Mangrove Bay Middle School\u00a0<\/p>\n 16,000 members at the joint campus location\u00a0<\/p>\n The finish line\u00a0<\/p>\n For Jezek, the end of this chapter is not about titles or milestones but about the lives changed along the way. The YMCA, he said, has always been about people coming together to lift one another up.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been my calling,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can build buildings and programs, but what matters most is the impact you leave behind.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n As he looks ahead to time with his family and new pursuits, Jezek leaves behind a thriving organization and a community shaped by his quiet conviction that leadership is service in motion; that the truest measure of success is what continues long after you step aside.\u00a0<\/p>\n Stay Connected<\/p>\n Sign up for TBBW\u2019s newsletter<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Exterior](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Untitled-6-17-1000x563.png\")
<\/a>The Speer YMCA in St. Petersburg, a 19-acre joint campus shared with Mangrove Bay Middle School, stands as a model for public-private partnership and community impact.<\/p>\n![\"Portrait](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Untitled-6-19-1000x563.png\")
David Jezek, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg, retires after 42 years of service.<\/p>\n