Terrell Benton serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the YMCA of the North. In this role, he leads the association’s operational strategy with a robust commitment to readiness, reliability, and frontline excellence. Terrell works with key leaders to ensure the operation delivers exceptional experiences aligned with the Y’s mission and strategic plan to deepen engagement, elevate experiences, increase access, and sustain its future.
A disciplined and people‑centered operator, Terrell’s focus on execution, leadership development, and operational rigor ensures that teams have what they need to deliver for those they serve every day. He brings clarity, efficiency, and quality to organizational systems and practices, consistently centering the experience of team members, customers, volunteers, and participants. His leadership strengthens the association’s ability to meet community needs and advance its mission.
Before becoming COO, Terrell served as Senior Vice President of Branch Operations for the YMCA of the North. He brings almost a decade of YMCA operations leadership experience, including his role as Chief Branch Officer at the YMCA of the Triangle in North Carolina, where he oversaw one of the nation’s largest branch operating portfolios. He is widely respected for empowering leaders to expand mission impact, optimize performance, and elevate the quality of experiences delivered across all platforms.
Terrell holds a Bachelor of Arts from Wichita State University.
Why the Y?
In my mid-30s, I was trying to align my spirituality and my faith across all aspects of my life: my volunteer work, my work in athletics, everything. As I was doing this, the YMCA came calling and afforded me the opportunity to step into an executive director role. Having the chance to take on a leadership position at this faith-based organization and movement—I felt like this was providence and I haven’t been let down.
I believe in love as a leadership concept and at the Y I get to move that forward by supporting our members, participants, communities, team and all those we serve. I jokingly say—but also wholeheartedly believe—that I haven’t yet worked at a day at the Y.
That’s why I’ve committed myself to retiring as a YMCA team member. There’s no better organization in the world for me to be able to live out my faith and my spirit.