EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Diodado G. Gica, EdD

Executive Director, International YMCA/New Americans Initiative
Phone: +1-212-875-4336
Email: dgica@ymcanyc.org

Dio Gica joined the International YMCA in 2006 as the Director of ELESAIR which offers free English classes to adult immigrants in NYC.  ELESAIR, which has been in existence for over 27 years, is a community outreach program that provides free educational and social services to refugees and other disenfranchised communities—with the goal of helping them to achieve self-sufficiency by strengthening home and community environments.  Thereafter, in 2008, Dio Gica became the Senior Director of the YMCA’s New Americans Initiative where he is responsible for launching and spearheading its New Americans Welcome Centers, of which there are six centers with corresponding 18 program sites citywide.     

During his earlier tenure with the International YMCA, Dio also managed the outbound programs, specifically the Teens Program (Global Teens and Leaders Club), a leadership development program that engages teenagers in an international experience that includes cultural travel, community service, home stays, and teen-to-teen interaction; and Special Programs (Go Global and Arrivals), a voluntary service and capacity-building program that places skilled Americans at YMCAs around the world.  Starting June 2011, Dio returned to the International YMCA as the Interim Executive Director, providing leadership to both the outbound as well as the inbound J-1 visa programs, namely the International Camp Counselor, Summer Work & Travel, and International Trainee & Interns programs. In February 2012, he was appointed the new Executive Director.

Dio received his Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature from Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana.  A graduate of the NYC Fellows Program and a Permanent NYS-certified Teacher of English with a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Language Arts and Literature, Dio taught the Balanced Literacy and Advanced Placement Programs at a NYC inner-city high school.  Dio is also currently a doctoral candidate at Fordham University’s Educational Leadership, Administration and Policy program.