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Ivan Gilreath is the CEO/President of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands. In his first public message, Ivan discusses his history with the Clubs in Omaha, the need to return to full Club capacity, and the need for community support.

The CEO Video Address is a monthly feature of the BGCM Blog, giving CEO Ivan Gilreath the opportunity to share Club news updates with the Omaha, Carter Lake and Council Bluffs communities.

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands is excited to announce Omaha native and Boys & Girls Clubs alum, Ivan Gilreath, as President and CEO, effective February 1st, 2011. Ivan returned to Omaha from Minneapolis, after five years with insurance giant ING, most recently as the President of the company’s Employee Benefits Division. Before ING, Ivan spent 20 years with Mutual of Omaha.

“It feels really good to be back in Omaha, leading the organization that gave me so much,” says Gilreath. “I have spent my entire professional career in the corporate world, but never lost my passion for serving at-risk youth.”

Ivan grew up in a single-parent household with four siblings. While his mother worked hard to support the family, Ivan spent much of his time at the North Omaha Boys Club. He recalls certain staff members at the Club as being the positive male role models who set positive examples, and laid the foundation upon which he would achieve great things.

“I am a product of my club and my community,” Gilreath says with conviction. “I hope my story and my experiences will inspire the youth of our Clubs to dream bigger and expect more of themselves and their futures. The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands is a great organization and I look forward to continuing that tradition of greatness. Today more than ever our young men and women need the Boys & Girls Clubs. Our mission is to provide the programs and activities that will lead them towards becoming positive and productive members of society.”

“A committee of community and board members organized the national search for our new President,” says BGCM Board Chairman, Tim Holland. “We received hundreds of qualified resumes both nationally and locally. Through an exhaustive process we found the best candidate in Ivan. His leadership skills and passion for youth development will be a great asset for the children of Omaha.”

Ivan takes over the Club reins from retiring CEO, Fred Schott. Schott will play the role of senior advisor and will work closely with Ivan during the transition process, and beyond as needed.

Ivan’s management team will include two experienced Club professionals; Tom Kunkel, Chief Professional Officer, and Laura Schabloske, Chief Development Officer. Kunkel and Schabloske will continue to play key roles in Club operations and fundraising. Both are passionate believers in the Boys & Girls Club movement and the impact it has on the youth in Omaha, Carter Lake and Council Bluffs.

About Ivan
Ivan Gilreath joined the Boys & Girls Clubs after a 28-year career in the for-profit sector, most recently with ING as the President of the Employee Benefits Division. Prior to joining ING, he spent 20 years at Mutual of Omaha and four years with Xerox Corporation.

Gilreath serves on the board of counselors at University of Nebraska Medical Center and the national advisory board of the University of Nebraska-Omaha College of Business. He has a long history of community leadership having served as a volunteer for numerous nonprofit organizations, including the board of the Urban League of Nebraska, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, the YMCA Black Achievers, the Urban League Black Executive Exchange Program and Omaha Chamber of Commerce 21st Century Steering Committee. He founded the Midwest Trailblazers mentoring and basketball organization, which provides opportunities for young men and women to develop leadership and social skills, while supporting athletic ability.

He graduated with a bachelor of science degree in marketing from the University of Nebraska in 1982, where he also played intercollegiate Division I basketball. In 1989, Gilreath earned a masters degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

Gilreath was honored with the “Living the Dream” award from the City of Omaha, and in 2002, was given the University of Nebraska-Omaha’s Distinguished Alumni award from the College of Business. In 2007, he was awarded the Whitney M. Young Leadership Award from the Urban League of Nebraska.

Fred Schott has been a member or served a Boys & Girls Club for the better part of 53 years. He attended college at George Williams College in Chicago on a W. Clement and Jesse V. Stone Boys Club scholarship, and finished up at the University of Louisville. It was there he began his professional career at the Portland Avenue Boys Club – the same Club he attended as a young boy.

Fred and his wife Donna moved to Omaha in 1972 with their three young girls, because Fred wanted to further his Club career under the tutelage of Bill Hinckley and Tom Davis. With the help of another Club scholarship, Fred earned a Master’s Degree in Urban Studies from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

He left the Clubs in 1981 to start a career in the insurance industry, but remained close to the Movement as a consultant, speaker, trainer and board member.

In 2002, Fred returned to Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands as President and CEO, a title he held until February 1st of this year. Under Fred’s leadership, BGCM rebuilt the new North Omaha Unit, opened the Westside, Mount View and Council Bluffs Units, and doubled the number of members served each year.

In “retirement,” a term he uses loosely, Fred plans to continue to serve poor and underprivileged youth in the community through various outlets. To quote Fred himself, “you never really leave the Boys & Girls Clubs family.”