MATTAPOISETT — Lucria Ortiz, the new CEO and president of YMCA Southcoast, sees herself in the communities she serves each day at the YMCA.

“I was a kid very similar to our kids who walk the New Bedford Y and the Fall River Y,” she said at the YMCA Southcoast Annual Meeting on Wednesday, June 11. “I had big dreams in my pockets and hope in my eyes that somebody would see my possibility.”

Ortiz emphasized the importance of YMCA Southcoast as an institution that communities rely on. Locations in Mattapoisett, Dartmouth, Wareham, New Bedford and Fall River serve thousands of families by providing health and social services, swim lessons, groceries and meals and athletic spaces.

“We understand it’s our duty to always be there for the people and the communities we serve. I only see a bright light ahead and the opportunity for the Y to dig deeper with our parents [and] community leaders,” she said.

Ortiz was selected from an “extensive national search,” in which her over 20 years of experience working in government, non-profit and legal spaces made her stand out as an ideal candidate.

Prior to working with YMCA Southcoast, she spent 10 years working with New York and New Jersey YMCA communities where she served as president and CEO of the Yonkers Family YMCA.

Ortiz stated that she is the “first woman and CEO of color” to be elected as President and CEO of YMCA Southcoast.

“Thank you to our board of directors for having the confidence and boldness to hire your first woman and CEO of color,” she said at the Annual Meeting.

In her speech, Ortiz described herself as “an advocate for others.” She has focused much of her previous career around supporting and fundraising millions of dollars for programs centered around youth development, food insecurity and violence prevention.

Ortiz beckoned the audience to remember the extensive history of the Southcoast YMCA which was established in 1857, stating that “understanding our history is incredibly important to building our future.”

“This Y existed when the 13th Amendment was established and slavery was abolished. This Y existed through labor, civil and women’s rights and so many incredible movements all the way through modern times,” she said, reinforcing that the YMCA Southcoast has always been present for the community through societal conflict, change and growth.