YMCA of Greater Indianapolis’s Youth, Family and Camp Director April Eales has been selected for the annual 30 Under 30 Class honored by the YMCA of the USA’s Emerging Leaders Resource Network. This national award recognizes staff who embody the YMCA mission and spotlights 30 full-time YMCA leaders under the age of 30 for their accomplishments and potential to lead YMCA Associations in the coming years.
About April
April began her journey as the seasonal Aquatics Director at Flat Rock River YMCA Camps, where she gained extensive experience in aquatics and camp management. Advancing her career, April joined the Youth Development team at the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis and quickly moved into the Program Director position for three districts of Before & After School programs. She is both a mentor and a leader, actively supporting the professional growth of her staff, significantly influencing the careers of many YMCA professionals and exemplifying the YMCA’s core values. She strives to foster an inclusive environment that inspires her colleagues’ commitment to the organization.
At just 28 years old, April’s impact as a positive role model is remarkable. Her achievements include relicensing programs in Hancock County as a freshman program director and graduating with a 4.0 GPA from her Master’s program at Indiana University. She also expanded capacities at 50% of her sites in her role as Before & After School director.
April was selected for the inaugural Women’s Leadership Development Cohort for the Indiana Conference for Women, an honor given to only 14 women statewide! Notably, she was the youngest eligible candidate, nominated by the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis’ Vice President of Youth Development. Additionally, she chairs the Women's Leadership Resource Network Employee Resource Group for the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis.
In her current role, April has developed family and community programs for YMCAs in downtown Indianapolis, addressing the challenges of serving a diverse user base. Since moving into this role, she has forged valuable partnerships to enhance community programs, collaborating with organizations like the Marion County Department of Health and Second Helpings for a community feeding program, offering free Spanish language classes, and providing tutoring through Indy Reads.
April loves the outdoors, hiking, camping and kayaking. Her passion for National Parks has led her to have a life goal of visiting all 63 of them.
