Tune in to see why there is excitement brewing amongst the hosts regarding the creation of this podcast as they share stories of how the Y has impacted their lives and the lives of its members. Don’t miss this first edition of the Pathway to the (Y).
IN THIS EPISODE:
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BIOGRAPHY:
Robert Wright has 20 years of experience encouraging and motivating individuals in the human and social service industry, ranging from children to adults with mental health and substance abuse diagnoses as well as developmental disabilities. He utilized his experience of assisting others and has transferred his energy and focus to fitness and wellness. He is motivated to merge both arenas and give individuals with diagnoses and disabilities another avenue other than the traditional clinical and medicinal approach.
Zarinah Winston began working for the Metro Atlanta YMCA in 1999. Zarinah has served the YMCA in multiple roles for the past 23 years. Currently, she serves as a Center Director of an Early Learning Center. Her role consists of supervising and leading staff, implementing program plans, overseeing daily activities, and managing the Center budget. Before becoming a Center Director for the Y, her YMCA experiences consisted of being a Summer Camp Counselor, After School Site Director, Assistant Teacher, Lead Teacher, and Lead Instructional Support Coach. The YMCA honored Zarinah with the “Outstanding Performance Award” for the Covington YMCA. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Multidisciplinary Studies (Education) and a Master of Education in Curriculum & Instruction with a minor in Early Childhood Education. By pursuing lifelong learning, she intends to be an example for the amazing team that she leads at her school.
Zarinah is proud to be a mother of three wonderful children, Zamaria, Zachary, and Zavier. Her oldest daughter Zamaria and her middle son Zachary entered YMCA Early Learning at the tender age of 6 weeks. The YMCA exposed the children to a safe and caring learning environment, friendships, rich language & literacy skills, strong communication skills, and so much more. Zarinah’s family is her heart and inspiration for striving to be the best version of herself. The core values of the YMCA (Honesty, Caring, Respect, Responsibility) are characteristics that she strives to always live by.
Zarinah enjoys owning her own candle business, journaling, traveling, exercising, listening to music, and spending time with family and friends. Zarinah is influenced and mentored by her uncle who is the CEO/President of a YMCA.
Zarinah believes in enjoying life by being of service to others. She lives by the quote, “Feel the present, hold the vision, let go of resistance, enjoy the journey, trust the process, and know that all is well.” Fredrick Talloen
Allison Toller is the Chief Social Impact Officer for the YMCA of Metro Atlanta. Charged with cultivating and stewarding the Y’s strategic corporate, civic, and community partnerships, she and the Social Impact team also drive the Association’s strategic plan, embedding it into the fabric of the organization. Additionally, she oversees the Y’s volunteerism and advocacy initiatives. Before coming to the Y, Allison was a corporate social responsibility leader with Cox Communications.
With a dual background in broadcasting and education, Allison was Chief of Staff and
Communications Director for two of the largest school districts in Georgia. Through these experiences, she has a deep knowledge of the education system and has led several high-profile campaigns on a variety of issues including taxes, teacher shortages, school zoning, and crisis situations.
Developing strong relationships among local, state, and national media, Allison was a registered lobbyist working within the Georgia state legislature to fully fund schools throughout the state. She built an innovative and award-winning brand widely recognized among independent schools. As Chief of External Affairs for Mount Vernon, she amplified marketing efforts to increase year-on-year enrollment.
Early in her career, Allison was a television news broadcaster; live television was the perfect training ground where she learned the art of storytelling. For several years she shared these skills on a national level, conducting leadership training sessions in the corporate, civic, and university settings. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication from Florida State University and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Georgia College & State University.
Allison is a graduate of both Leadership Cobb and Leadership Sandy Springs; she is a recipient of the YWCA Woman of Achievement Award and was named to the Top 20 Under 40 list by the Marietta Daily Journal. A lover of hiking, traveling, and running the trails along the Chattahoochee, Allison lives in Sandy Springs with her husband Rick, and they have two children. Nina attends Georgia Tech and Jackson is a senior in high school. Both children spent their summers growing up at YMCA Camp High Harbour at Lake Allatoona.
