Annual Report 2023: Volunteers

2023 ORDER OF THE RED TRIANGLE 

CHIP HOWORTH

The YMCA of Middle Tennessee was honored to name long-time advocate and volunteer Chip Howorth as the recipient of the Order of the Red Triangle, Y's highest volunteer honor, for 2023.

Howorth first became involved with the Y as a child when his family moved to Nashville and his mother helped to start the first swim team at the Green Hills YMCA, so he knows first-hand the positive impact the Y can make on children and teens. After graduating from the University of Mississippi and the University of Tennessee College of Law, Howorth returned to Nashville and reengaged as a Y member and volunteer, eventually joining the Green Hills YMCA Advisory Board. 

In 2019, he was recruited to the YMCA of Middle Tennessee's board of directors and soon after joined the nonprofit’s Property Committee in the midst of two historic construction projects—the first, a massive renovation and expansion of the Brentwood Family YMCA; and the second, the redevelopment of the Y's Downtown campus. Howorth now chairs the Y’s Property Committee and has worked tirelessly to support the organization’s efforts to enhance and expand its facilities to give members the best experience possible. 

"For more than two years, Chip has been present with our YMCA staff on weekly—sometimes semi-weekly—construction calls offering an outside perspective and bringing valuable domain knowledge and advocacy to help the Y be good stewards of its resources, and managing projects on-time and on-budget at a time when that’s a rare occurrence,” said YMCA President and CEO John Mikos.

Howorth currently serves as the managing partner of Adapt Development Company, a Nashville-based firm providing meaningful changes to the aesthetic, use and purpose of real estate through an astute improvement process. He is a prior chair of the Phoenix Club of Nashville, a former board member of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Tennessee and Junior Achievement, and is chair-elect and chair of Mission Advancement for the Urban Land Institute of Nashville.

2023 H.G. HILL JR. PHILANTHROPIC AWARD

LIZ WILSON

For 2023, the YMCA Foundation of Middle Tennessee was thrilled to bestow its highest honor, the H.G. Hill Jr. Philanthropic Award, to Liz Wilson.

A Kentucky native, Liz has made Middle Tennessee her home for over 30 years, a large portion of which she’s been an active YMCA member and volunteer. After joining and chairing the advisory board at the Maryland Farms YMCA, Liz accepted the invitation to join our Association Board. She quickly made her mark as a passionate advocate for our mission. In 2013, she co-chaired the association-wide Annual Giving Campaign with Mary Lee Bartlett and remained at the helm as campaign chair in 2015 and 2016, helping to raise millions of dollars in support of the life-changing work of the Y. She also agreed to serve as Honorary Campaign Chair in 2017.

More recently, Liz served as the YMCA of Middle Tennessee’s Board Chair from 2020 to 2021. Liz played an essential role in helping our Y navigate the monumental challenges of the March 2020 tornado and the COVID-19 pandemic with her trademark intelligence, determination, compassion, and dedication to her community.

Liz’s endurance as a triathlete serves her well in her advocacy for our Y and countless other organizations. She has served as past president of the Nashville Triathlon Club and was named the 2006 Woman of the Year by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, where she also served as a board member. Still, she found time and strength to train for and complete her first Ironman in 2008.

Liz is the managing director and private advisor for Monarch Wealth Partners at Rockefeller Capital Management. She brings over 30 years of experience in financial services and loves simplifying and creatively solving complex financial issues for her clients. She holds a B.A. in Management and Human Relations and an M.S. in Financial Planning.

It is the YMCA Foundation of Middle Tennessee’s privilege to honor Liz and celebrate the impact she has made—and will continue to make—on our community.