New CEO Brings Focus on Community, Childcare and Connection
Rima Zabian (photo provided)
“It really felt like somewhere we could belong together,” Zabian said.
That sense of belonging helped shape Zabian’s decision to become the next CEO of the Mahaska County YMCA, where she will step into leadership as the organization prepares to open its new aquatic center, build on its role as the community’s largest childcare provider and consider what comes next for programs, partnerships, and people.
For Zabian, the appeal started before she arrived in Oskaloosa. As she learned about the YMCA and Mahaska County, she was struck by how deeply the organization seemed woven into community life.
“What really stood out to me was that all the community partners genuinely cared about the organization,” Zabian said. “I was really struck by the level of investment that people have in one another.”
Her visit confirmed what she had read. Zabian said she noticed a strong sense of pride, but also a willingness among community members to work together.
The welcome extended beyond the interview room.
Zabian said she paid close attention to how people interacted with her daughter, Valentina. Community members included her in conversations, answered her questions and helped her begin to picture what life in Oskaloosa could look like.
“As a parent, as a mom, that mattered enormously to me,” Zabian said.
Mahaska County YMCA Board President Nicole Bryant said Zabian’s enthusiasm for the position, YMCA experience, excitement about Oskaloosa and strong feedback from her peers helped her stand out during the search. That impression grew stronger as Zabian interacted with community members and shared her ideas for the organization.
“The hiring committee liked Rima immediately, and that opinion was only confirmed by the interactions she had with community members and her plan for our organization,” Bryant said.
Bryant said Zabian’s emphasis on collaboration also fit what the board was seeking in its next leader.
“Rima believes strongly in collaboration and partnerships,” Bryant said. “This approach to leadership fits our Y and our community exceedingly well.”
Zabian will arrive at a significant moment for the YMCA. The new aquatic center is nearing completion, childcare remains a major part of the organization’s work, and Zabian sees opportunities to deepen health partnerships, expand youth development, engage older adults and strengthen staff development.
“This Y is in such a special place,” Zabian said. “There’s so much possibility.”
She said transitions can give organizations a chance to honor their history while being intentional about what comes next. Her first priority, she said, will be to listen and learn from staff, the board, families and the broader community before deciding how to move forward.
That approach is especially important to Zabian when it comes to childcare.
She described childcare not simply as a YMCA program, but as part of a community’s infrastructure. Safe, reliable and high-quality care allows parents to work, helps employers recruit and retain employees, and gives children important developmental opportunities.
Zabian said her previous work in early learning taught her that childcare challenges rarely have a single cause. Staffing, leadership, enrollment, financial sustainability, licensing, culture, and communication with families all affect the strength of a program.
“Long-term and sustainable improvements happen when we understand the whole system rather than trying to solve one piece at a time,” she said.
Bryant said Zabian’s experience in childcare and community partnerships was especially important to the search committee. The board also saw value in her experience leading an organization of similar size.
Looking ahead, Bryant said the YMCA wants to build on its current strategic plan while preparing for the next one, with attention to childcare, youth and teen engagement, safety and continued partnership across the community.
“There are so many ways the Y can grow, both programmatically and in partnership with our various community members, and Rima has the same vision,” Bryant said.
Zabian’s vision begins with a simple idea: The YMCA should be a place where people feel they belong, whether they use the facility every day or have never walked through its doors.
She said the Y can help children learn to swim, provide dependable childcare, reduce isolation among older adults, give teens their first leadership opportunities and connect people to resources during difficult seasons.
“At its best, the Y strengthens the social fabric of a community,” Zabian said.
Three to five years from now, she hopes people across Mahaska County will see the YMCA as something they share.
“I hope that they smile and that they say, ‘That’s our Y,’” Zabian said.
That sense of connection is also what Zabian wants for her own family.
She and Valentina are already talking about school, activities, favorite places in town and ways to become involved. Zabian said she wants to support local businesses, volunteer and become part of the community outside the walls of the YMCA.
“This wasn’t just about accepting a job,” she said. “We can really build a life here, and this is a community that we can be a part of.”
Bryant said the board believes Zabian can help move the organization forward without losing the values and relationships that already matter to the YMCA.
“She is a wonderful listener and a thoughtful responder,” Bryant said.
For Zabian, the measure of success a year from now will be both professional and personal: a supported staff, a board and team aligned around a clear direction, stronger community relationships, and a daughter who feels at home.
“If a year from now we both feel deeply connected to the community, and I know the Y is stronger because of the work we’ve done together,” Zabian said. “I’ll know without question that we made the right decision.”
