New Wayne YMCA Leader Brings Expertise, Enthusiasm to the Job

WAYNE, N.J. — When she was a teenager, Laura Tiedge dreamed of being the next Jacques Cousteau or a U.S. senator, but life took her on a different, equally fulfilling path leading to the top post at the Wayne YMCA.

“I feel like I’m making a meaningful difference every day,” said Tiedge, who started as executive director of the Wayne YMCA Tuesday.

“The Wayne community is a real cultural mosaic, and I see tremendous potential in the Wayne YMCA as a place for all,” said Tiedge, who has been senior director of healthy living at the Rye YMCA in New York for the past eight years. She plans to expand programs, including offerings at the 408-seat Rosen Performing Arts Center, and increase membership.

“Laura is a cause-driven leader with an impressive track record of creating and growing programs and developing community partnerships,” said Richard K. Gorab, president and CEO of the Metropolitan YMCA of the Oranges. The Wayne Y is a branch of the Metro YMCA, the largest association of YMCAs in New Jersey.

“She is deeply committed to the Y’s mission of nurturing the potential of kids, promoting healthy living and fostering social responsibility,” Gorab said.

Tiedge began her career at a United Way in Pennsylvania, creating a program that would become a national model for connecting educators to community organizations that could benefit from student-led service projects. She then served as executive director of Camp Fire Boys and Girls in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania before starting a consulting firm helping nonprofits.

The 55-year-old began her Y career in 2003 as the aquatics director at the New Rochelle YMCA in New York, where she became head coach of the swim team.

“I loved mentoring the kids, shaping them to be not only stronger swimmers, but better people,” she said. Growing up in Jersey City, Tiedge learned to swim at the Jersey City YMCA and developed a life-long love of the sport.

When an injury prevented Tiedge from competing in a women’s triathlon at the Jersey Shore in 2010, she volunteered as a ‘swim angel’ to help participants complete the swimming portion. One woman struggled in the water and was about to turn back, but Tiedge offered to swim the distance alongside her.

The woman thanked her and said, ‘I will remember you for the rest of my life,’ Tiedge recalled.

The experience inspired Tiedge to start a women’s triathlon team at the Rye YMCA six years ago. As many as 80 women of all ages and abilities participate each year, including women undergoing cancer treatments. Tiedge plans to introduce the Livestrong program at the YMCA this year.

While Tiedge only briefly used her education degree in a classroom, teaching and coaching have been the backbone of her career. Whether it has been swimmers or staff members, “I tap into people’s strengths, to help them develop as an individual,” she said.

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Laura Tiedge — Courtesy of Wayne YMCA