Christian Engle began his YMCA career in Santa Barbara, California, in 1990, and has served the past 35 years in seven communities including Santa Barbara, St. Louis, Birmingham, Trinity/New Port Richey, Albany, New Haven, Baton Rouge and Clearwater.
The YMCA of the Suncoast serves more than 100,000 people through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. The organization employs more than 1,000 full- and part-time staff members delivering services throughout our communities in school-age programs, youth sports, drowning prevention and swim lessons, health and wellness, teen programs, food distribution, chronic disease prevention and cancer survivor programs. Of the 760 YMCAs in the nation, the YMCA of the Suncoast is the 66th largest in the country.
Engle serves on several YMCA of the USA task forces, including the YUSA CEO’s Advisory Counsel.
1. College alma mater? University of Southern Mississippi.
2. Favorite TV show of all time? Anything Star Trek.
3. Preferred place for a business meeting? Anywhere outdoors/patio.
4. Most used phone app? iMessage.
5. What time do you wake up on workdays? 4:30 a.m.
6. What’s a life hack you swear by? Getting my workout in before 6:30 a.m.
7. First album/cassette tape/CD you remember buying? KISS, Dressed to Kill.
8. Favorite local restaurant? Ozona Blue Grill.
9. Last book you read? The Wisdom of the Bullfrog by Admiral William H. McRaven.
10. Biggest business failure? Taking a job that I wasn’t prepared to be successful in.
11. What was your first cell phone? Motorola Flip Phone.
12. Something you cook really well? Steaks.
13. Most famous person you’ve ever met? Kathy Ireland
14. What is the last thing that made you laugh, really hard? My children regularly make me laugh.
15. What is a movie you will NEVER watch again? Anything with Ace Ventura.
16. Last place you traveled for fun? Boston.
17. What was your first car? 1974 Chevrolet Camaro.
18. Charity you support? YMCA.
19. What is something silly you got in trouble for as a child? Crossing the highway as a three-year-old to climb on the fire trucks at the station.
20. Best advice ever received? Ask questions in an effort to learn, not to be heard.