Age: 31
Director of Program Services & Training, Boys and Girls Clubs of the Bay & Lakes Region
People who talk with Hannah Basile are sometimes surprised to learn that her background isn’t in youth development, but instead that she earned a degree in kinesiology from UW Oshkosh and taught group exercise and personal training at a local gym.
But her background seems a natural precursor to The Boys and Girls Clubs of the Bay & Lakes Region, which she joined in 2017, working in roles such as sports and gym coordinator and program services specialist before moving into her current position in June 2024. Basile says her big break came when the organization entrusted her with her first supervisory role. “They saw potential in me that I hadn’t fully recognized in myself,” she says.
“You don’t need to know everything to be successful in your career,” Basile says. “What truly matters is having the work ethic and vulnerability to make mistakes, grow from them and keep showing up.”
Best advice: I would tell anyone entering the nonprofit world to embrace every opportunity that comes their way. Growth in this field rarely happens in isolation; it happens when you say yes to experiences that stretch you, to learning that deepens your perspective and to connections that open doors you didn’t yet know existed.
The region’s biggest challenge: The lack of access to healthy, affordable food and the absence of the educational resources needed to support strong nutrition habits. A community cannot truly thrive when its people are hungry or forced to rely on inadequate food options. When families struggle to meet this most basic need, the ripple effects are felt everywhere: Mentalhealth challenges intensify, stress rises and substanceabuse concerns become more prevalent. To build a stronger and more resilient community, we must address these systemic gaps with intention and collaboration. Schools can play a pivotal role by offering consistent access to nutritious meals, ensuring that every child receives at least two healthy meals a day, regardless of their circumstances.
Favorite cause: I love cats, so I often support Safe Haven nonprofit by visiting the cat cafes and by following on social media and sharing their events and needs with my own community.
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