HUB Leadership
Sara Cole
CEO/Hub Lead- scole@duluthymca.org
Sara Cole is proud to be the first female President & CEO of the Duluth Area Family YMCA where she leads an innovative group of change agents to offer programs and services to communities across Northern Minnesota. Sara began her Y career in the Community Services branch of the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati, and then served as the Senior Vice President of Program Development & Innovation at the YMCA of Greater Rochester in New York. Sara is deeply committed to the furthering the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and is proud to work with YMCAs across the state, and nationally, to improve program services for all people. Under Sara’s leadership, the Duluth Area Family YMCA has deepened local and national partnerships, increased its food access work, and opened its newest branch in the fall of 2019. The Duluth Area Family YMCA serves as a Regional Hub for twelve states, and Sara leads the Duluth YMCA’s national Service Delivery Partner Work in the areas of early education, teen programming, day camp, afterschool, aquatics, facilities, risk management, and finance. Under her leadership, the Y has expanded its shared services portfolio to partner with eight Associations in Minnesota and South Dakota. A professor of literature and feminist theory, Sara is a licensed novice wildlife rehabilitator who spends her free time lifting heavy weights, reading big books, and exploring Duluth with her husband, Andrew, and their feisty pug, Dracula
Elli Grapp
Regional Training Director- egrapp@duluthymca.org
Elli Grapp (she, her) earned her BA from Iowa State University in Political Science and French and went on to complete her MA in International Peace and Conflict Resolution at American University in Washington, DC. While her studies were international in scope, they served to make her more passionate about making a difference in the types of communities in which she was raised. Elli’s career has seen her in a variety of nonprofits, ranging from a small start-up to university settings, and her Y journey began in 2019 at the YMCA of Greater Omaha. She is passionate about the Y’s commitment to strengthening community and the movement’s growth towards being truly “for all.” On a more personal note, Elli is excited to have her son growing up in the Y (currently attending a Y daycare and swim lessons) and loves the family atmosphere that the Y does such an exceptional job at creating. As Regional Training Director, Elli is excited to support the leadership and career development of similarly passionate Y staff across the region.
Barb Jutila
Senior Administrative Specialist- bjutila@duluthymca.org
Barb is currently a Senior Administrative Specialist who was drawn to working at the YMCA guided by the Ys core values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility – A mission that speaks to her to inspire positive change.
Professionally, Barb comes from an extensive work background in the construction industry, with concentration on project execution to launch. With considerable experience over the past thirty years, she worked with teams on mega-malls, combining retail and entertainment elements across the United States, as well as international centers located in Toronto and Madrid. Most recently completed a mixed-use 27-story office building in Phoenix, Arizona and a 31-story luxury, amenity-laden apartment tower in Chicago, Illinois. Barb is a powerful force in the workplace using her positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others.
Personal time, you will find Barb training for full and half marathons, (successfully ran and completed the Boston Marathon in 2015), dabbling in her seamstress business, and enjoying weekends at the hunting shack with her extended family.
Mitchell Lochner
Human Resources Training Coordinator- mlochner@duluthymca.org
Mitchell is currently serving as the HR and Training Coordinator where he serves both the HR department for the Duluth Association as well as for the Mountain Midwest Hub to assist with expanding the training opportunities for the region.
Mitchell is originally from Saint Cloud, Minnesota and moved to Duluth to attend college in 2018. He received his BA at the University of Minnesota-Duluth in Psychology with a minor in Business Administration. Mitchell’s passion for the YMCA developed over the last year as he was working in the membership department at the Downtown Duluth Y location as well as interning for a smaller non-profit in Duluth. He has also served as a financial peer mentor through the university and enjoys helping people use their abilities for self-improvement. In his free time, Mitchell will be outside camping, fishing, or hiking around the state with his girlfriend, Halie and dog, Lakely.