Jeff Snell
Milwaukee – Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee (BGCGM); the largest single-city Boys & Girls Club in the country, and one of the longest youth-serving agencies in Milwaukee; announced today that after a unanimous recommendation from the Board of Trustees, Jeff Snell, PhD, has been named the new president and chief executive officer of BGCGM effective December 16, 2024. BGCGM conducted a national search process for a new president and CEO. Snell had been serving as interim president and CEO of the Clubs since April of this year. Snell is also a former president and CEO of the BGCGM from 1997 – 2004, who worked with the board of trustees to increase membership, placing the Milwaukee chapter among the largest and most prominent of 2,500 chapters across the country.
The national search was conducted over several months by executive search firm Korn Ferry in partnership with the search committee led by David Gay, BGCGM board chair and Milwaukee office managing partner at Ernst & Young LLP and Greg Wesley, BGCGM past board chair and president and CEO of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation. Various BGCGM employees and community partners were engaged to provide input into the search process. The national search garnered a large pool of qualified candidates with diverse backgrounds including nonprofit leadership experience.
Snell’s executive leadership spans the non-profit, youth development, philanthropic, and higher education sectors. He completed service as a senior teaching faculty member at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he designed and taught courses in social innovation for the Department of Civil Society and Community Studies. Snell’s prior higher education leadership also includes serving as an advisor to the president at Marquette University.
Snell’s Milwaukee volunteer activities include serving as a board member for All-In Milwaukee (AIM), which is transforming Milwaukee by providing scholarships and social capital to first-generation, high-potential college students from limited income households. Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee is a major community partner of AIM.
“Words cannot express how honored and fortunate I feel to help lead the Clubs, not once but twice,” said Jeff Snell, PhD, president and chief executive officer at BGCGM. “My return to this wonderful organization started with a phone call last April, when I was invited to serve in an interim capacity. I quickly fell in love all over again with the work, the mission, relationships with Board members and colleagues, and of course the kids at the Clubs. As the search process unfolded and I’ve been immersed again in Milwaukee, I’ve been impressed with how the city has changed in many ways. There are wonderful advancements to celebrate across the spectrum of youth development. But as Greater Milwaukee residents know well, there remains a basic, critical need to provide a safe, positive, nurturing space where kids feel they belong, have a healthy snack provided by a caring adult, receive a hug and encouragement, get help with homework, and aspire to realize their dreams as productive members of the Milwaukee community. It’s joyous work. I’m blessed to be part of it and learn from others with a shared commitment to keep Milwaukee’s future looking bright.”
Snell also served as Entrepreneurial Mentor for the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps program; co-created a partnership with the New York Times for social innovation education, which was selected by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as one of 10 winners in a field of 1,000 proposals from 15 countries; and co-founded a statewide coalition focused on improving life outcomes of youth aging out of the Wisconsin foster system.
“We were really fortunate to have had so many qualified candidates, but our national search process validated that Jeff is the right person to lead the Clubs at this time,” said David Gay, BGCGM board chair and Milwaukee office managing partner at Ernst & Young LLP. “In all of our conversations, Jeff showed a comprehensive understanding of the Boys and Girls Clubs, a devotion to all of our stakeholders and a clear vision for our future direction.”
In addition to overall leadership of the organization including strategy, services, programs, finance, talent, brand, resource development, and stakeholder relationships, the president and CEO of BGCGM serves as the primary ambassador and lead communicator of BGCGM. Snell, together with his team, oversees the organization’s approximately 500 full-time and part-time employees, 500 volunteers and nearly 50 locations, including Camp Whitcomb/Mason in Hartland, Wisconsin. In total, BGCGM serves more than 30,000 children and teens annually. The president and CEO reports to BGCGM Board Chair David Gay.
About Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee (BGCGM) is the largest single-city Boys & Girls Club in the country and one of the longest youth-serving agencies in Milwaukee. With nearly 50 locations in the city of Milwaukee, BGCGM provides youth ages 4-18 with safe, fun, enriching after-school and summer programming including academic support, mentorship, organized athletics, arts, and nutritious meals. The organization’s programs strengthen academic performance, build character, encourage healthy lifestyles, and meet the basic needs of Milwaukee’s youth. More than 80 percent of BGCGM’s annual $30 million budget goes toward youth programming and operations. Learn more at bgcmilwaukee.org.