A former Tyrone man has assumed program director role at Tyrone YMCA.
Dave Shildt has resumed the duties that were left vacant when Wendi Cushion became employed at the District Magistrate Office of Fred Miller a couple of months ago.
Shildt was born in Altoona and resided in Tyrone for the first few years of his life. When he turned four, his family moved to the Smethport area. He graduated from Smethport Area High School and received a degree in recreation management from Lock Haven University in 1997. After graduating, Shildt put his skills to work in behavior management positions, most recently in the Chambersburg area.
“I’d really like to see the YMCA flourish like the facility in Hollidaysburg has,” said Shildt. “I only see big things here. The YMCA is definitely an integral part of Tyrone.”
Shildt’s mission is simple: get the word out.
“We (the YMCA) are the like the community of Tyrone in that we need to market what we have,” said Shildt. “There’s no better marketing tool than word of mouth, but there are other things we’ll need to do to make sure everyone in the community knows what we’re about.”
Shildt began his employment at the YMCA Monday, and, already, has some ideas cooking – including a slew of summer leagues and the possibility of paint-ball events.
“I sent my resume on just a whim,” said Shildt. “I didn’t think anything would come of it, but I’m glad it did.”
Shildt said his education at Lock Haven gave him the skills necessary for the job.
His experiences in behavioral management will also be employed, but he said he won’t miss those jobs.
“It was a mistake for me going into the psych field,” said Shildt. “It was only supposed to be summer work, but it kept going and going. I’m glad to be here and am looking forward to growing right along with the community.”
Currently, Shildt is residing in Huntingdon Furnace and is actively seeking more permanent living arrangements.
He is married to former a former Bellwood woman, Melanie (Korman). They have two children – 4-year-old Taylor Marie and 3-week-old Arik.
