Josh joined the Capital District YMCA in 2014. In 2018 he was moved into a supervisory role in part due to the strong relationships that he built with staff, children, families, and school personnel.

When the pandemic hit in March 2020, the program offered Emergency Childcare and he was one of the first onboard to work front line for the duration through summer. When there were challenging behaviors from the children, he formed relationships quickly and learned strategies for their success.

Josh volunteered to start a new site from scratch oversees both of the new locations. He had to learn new COVID guidelines, train staff on these, and foster a new partnership with school personnel.

Josh also successfully completed his NYS School-Age Care Credential in 2020 in his new program space. He volunteered time to pilot the new technology for the virtual endorsement process. His feedback was used to help other SAC Credential Candidates across the state.

Josh is a valued YMCA employee and his passion and dedication to the afterschool field makes him an amazing leader. His staff are lucky to learn from him. The children are lucky to be able to be around a true role model. The families can feel assured that their children are kept safe, having fun and learning while in his care. Josh was a recipient of the National Afterschool Association’s Next Generation Afterschool Leaders Award and a recipient of the Network for Youth Success’ Quality Leadership Award.