Harrisburg, Pa. – The Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), Inc. Board of Directors has named Gary Ivory President and Chief Executive Officer of the national nonprofit. In line with YAP’s succession plan, Ivory has served as YAP President and Interim Chief Executive Officer since November, taking the baton from Jeff Fleischer, who served as the national nonprofit’s Chief Executive Officer for three decades.
“I am extremely honored to continue the legacy of YAP’s founder Tom Jeffers and Jeff, who served as my mentor, paving the way for me to lead the agency,” Ivory said. “I am grateful to YAP Board Chair Teddy Reese and the entire YAP Board of Directors for their ongoing support and entrusting me to continue to lead all of our 2,100 plus staff who strive to fulfill our mission every day by serving and advocating for our program participants.”
YAP is a national nonprofit in its 48th year headquartered in Pennsylvania with programs in 35 states and Washington, D.C. and four international programs in Australia, Guatemala, Ireland, and Sierra Leone. YAP partners with youth justice, child welfare, behavioral health, education, public safety, and other systems to provide community-based alternatives to incarceration, residential care, and neighborhood violence. The nonprofit is known for its unique evidence-based “YAP Wrap” model. YAP’s neighborhood-based Advocates, behavioral health staff, and credible messengers empower program participants and their families to see and nurture their strengths and connect them with tools to put their lives on a positive trajectory.
“We are thrilled that Gary is continuing to build on YAP’s unique legacy as CEO,” said YAP Board Chair Teddy Reese, Esq. “YAP is without a doubt emerging as one of the most respected social change nonprofits in the nation and Gary has already demonstrated his commitment and ability as a leader to take the organization to the next level.”
Born and raised in Texas, Ivory has been with YAP for 30 years, beginning with service In Trenton, NJ. As a child, he lost three of his 14 siblings to prison.
“These early childhood experiences fuel my passion to serve the least, last, lost, lonely and unloved. It is all about servant leadership,” Ivory said.
Since becoming the nonprofit’s president two years ago, Ivory has helped the organization grow from 29 states to 34, which includes launching new youth justice, behavioral health and innovative violence prevention and safety services in Maryland, Georgia, South Carolina and New Jersey.
“As CEO, I plan to build on the 48 years of YAP’s global impact and help to change policy at the state and national levels so that communities rely less on incarceration and placement outside the home,” Ivory said.
Before joining YAP, Ivory served as a chaplain in the role of youth minister at New Jersey (formerly Trenton) State Prison. He is a graduate of Austin College and has a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary. In 1996, Ivory was one of ten national leaders awarded the prestigious Annie E. Casey Foundation Children and Family Fellowship, an intensive and highly selective executive leadership development opportunity. He was also awarded a Fellowship at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders in 2006.
For more information on YAP, please visit www.yapinc.org.