Meet the New Guy at the Y

The Robert D. Fowler YMCA in Peachtree Corners has a new man at the helm. Mark Thornell transferred from a Kentucky Y last month to take over as the new executive director at the Peachtree Corners facility.

But the transition should be a smooth one for the 43-year-old Thornell -- in fact it will be a little like coming home. Growing up, the new director, along with his family, lived in a home on Amherst Place in Peachtree Corners while he and his two brothers attended Norcross High.

The youthfull-looking Thornell also served as Fowler's program director from 1995-1997 developing youth programs and was on hand when Peachtree Corners new Y opened.

He's spent 20 years working for Y's all over the country including Boise, Idaho, where he worked as an intern and ended up meeting his future wife, Kristen. Together they have a daughter Andrea, 11. He remembers his first trip out west. "I was a Southern boy going out to big sky country."

His 20-year-career has taken him to Savannah, Ga, Birmingham, Ala., Port Orange, Fla, and most recently in Louisville, KY, where he served as the Y's northeast district executive diretor.

To get a chance to return to the area where he grew up was almost a dream come true. "I saw the opportunity come up in Atlanta. You never see openings open in Atlanta, people stay," said Thornell.

"I immediately looked into the job opening," said Thornel. The opening was created when long-time director Debbie Sutton took early retirement last fall to spend time with her ailing mother.

"Originally my wife didn't want to leave Kentucky," he said. A trip down to visit the area convinced her. "This is where I want to be," he said simply.

Thornell got his YMCA start while at the youthful age of 16 where he worked as a counselor for 7 and 8 year old boys at a Y summer camp on Lake Burton.

"It changed my life," said Thornell about his experience as a youth councelor. "I wanted to make a difference."

A U.S. Air Force brat, Thornell was born in Bangkok, Thailand while his dad was stationed overseas. He spent his early years in Minnesota before his family moved to Peachtree Corners. After graduating from Norcross High he attended Georgia Southern University and earned a bachelor's degree in recreation.

Thornell is enthusiastic about the YMCA and all it stands for. "It's so much more than brick and mortor," he explained. "We're here to provide the needs of the community."

He wants to expand the Y's reach in the community by developing partnerships with churches, local schools and non profit charitable organizations. And he wants everyone in the community to get to know the Y and use the facility.

"We don't want to just take your money, we want you to come," he said.