Brent Rockett joins the YMCA staff as new managing director
By Christie Barlow
[email protected]
The Harrisburg Family YMCA recently added a new member to its staff.
Brent Rockett made the move to Harrisburg where he will serve as the new managing director of the Harrisburg Family YMCA. Rockett will replace Elizabeth Lindsey, who left the position because her family was relocating.
“Our organization, county wide, is always eager and excited to get fresh ideas from another perspective,” said Kimberly Cousineau, the vice-president of operations for the YMCA. “I think Brent, having with him another perspective, as he assess and builds on the facility here, will be able to put ideas into action.”
Rockett, a graduate of Appalachian State University, earned a degree in health promotions and went on to work at a cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation center at the Catawba Valley Medical Center in Hickory.
From there, he joined the YMCA’s staff nearly four years ago. Rockett, originally from Hickory, started his career with the YMCA as a personal trainer at the West Cabarrus branch.
He said it was the mission of the YMCA that really attracted him to the organization.
Rockett liked the way the YMCA worked to become a part of the community and the emphasis that it put on providing family oriented activities.
“It was definitely a combination of a lot of things (that drew me to the YMCA),” Rockett said. “First, the mission of the YMCA was a large draw, being a service oriented and Christian organization. The other side is, I’ve always liked how the YMCA did its health and wellness. The way they did their programs.”
When he’s not spending his time at the Harrisburg YMCA, Rockett said he can often be found exercising, spending time with his wife, Barbra, or watching the sports, especially the Carolina Panthers.
Rockett, who’s been in Harrisburg for about a week, has been taking his time getting acclimated.
First on his to do list is to get to know the staff, board of directors and YMCA members in Harrisburg and to let them get to know him.
He hopes to continue to develop a place for the Harrisburg facility in the community, he said.
“I’m looking forward to making this facility the best it can be and making this YMCA the best it can be in Harrisburg,” Rockett said. “The YMCA is so much more than just this facility. We want its reach to be what it is in Concord and Kannapolis.”
• Contact Christie Barlow at [email protected] or 704-789-9140.