Cutone takes the reins at Burbank YMCA

Collaborating with local schools and medical facilities is what Mary Cutone thinks is the best way for children to develop.

Cutone, who has been working for the Burbank Community YMCA for nine years, was recently appointed as its new chief executive after serving in the position on an interim basis for the past 90 days. Now, as the head of the nonprofit, Cutone wants to incorporate her views about youth development into the organization’s goals.

“I want to see this YMCA as indispensable to this community and to work with community stakeholders toward our common goals, which [are] health and well-being,” she said.

Before taking on the head position, which was formerly held by JC Holt, Cutone was the chief operating officer for the nonprofit. When she joined the local YMCA, she worked in the child development center, but Cutone said that she had aspirations to become chief executive if she was given the opportunity.

Cutone said that she thought the Y’s board of directors would have conducted a national search for a new chief executive, and was surprised when board members told her that they voted to give her the position.

“I was really honored and surprised,” she said. “I had always had my eye on the Burbank YMCA and had always dreamed that it would be a place where I would work someday. I’m just thrilled to have the opportunity to lead [the YMCA] in the coming years.”

One way Cutone hopes to improve youth development is to continue the organization’s free summer program called Learn, Grow, Thrive, in which the nonprofit teams up with the Burbank Unified School District to host a hybrid between summer school and summer camp for low-income students in the first and second grades.

“It makes sense for the Y to partner with the school district in that capacity,” she said. “What we’re really addressing is the achievement gap. Education is integral to youth development.”

The other way the YMCA works with the community is by teaming up with Providence St. Joseph Medical Center and offering a service called Live Well Burbank, a new program that teaches children about proper diet and exercise.

“We’re seeing just an alarming rise in obesity and obesity-related diseases,” Cutone said. “It makes sense for us to be at the table with the healthcare partner.”

Cutone said that she wants people to know that the YMCA is more than just a “swim and gym” and that the nonprofit is offering programs to help children develop better.

The next issue that Cutone wants to address is senior living and how to promote a healthy lifestyle for Burbank’s older residents.

“My hopes and dreams for this Y and this community is that people learn more about what we’re about,” she said. “I’d like to think that the Y can be there when the community needs it most.”

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Anthony Clark Carpio, anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com

Twitter: @acocarpio