Leadership Team

Gene Johnson Interim Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Eugene “Gene” B. Johnson, retired chief executive officer of FairPoint Communications, co-founded the company and served as a director from 1991 to 2009. He then served as chairman of United Communications Holdings. Prior to FairPoint, he was president and sole shareholder of JC&A, Inc., an investment banking and brokerage firm providing services to cable television, telephone and related industries. Mr. Johnson started his career as a certified public accountant with Haskins and Sells, a predecessor of Deloitte & Touche. A member of the U.S. Army, he achieved the rank of captain before his discharge in 1971.

A UNC Charlotte graduate, Gene has the distinction of being the first alumnus to serve as chair of the University’s Board of Trustees. He also chaired UNC Charlotte’s Foundation Board, the Football Capital Campaign, the Marching Band Fundraising Committee, and is a former member of the UNC Charlotte Investment Fund Board and the Belk College of Business Advisory Council. He served three terms as president of the UNC Charlotte Athletic Foundation and was an active leader in and former president of the UNC Charlotte Alumni Association. Gene also chaired UNC Charlotte’s $200 million capital campaign, EXPONENTIAL: The Campaign for UNC Charlotte, the largest campaign in the University’s history. In recognition of his professional accomplishments and exemplary service to UNC Charlotte and the community, Gene was inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame in 1997, presented with the University’s highest alumni award, the Bonnie E. Cone Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000, received an honorary doctoral degree in 2014, and was honored with The Order of the Long Leaf Pine in 2016, North Carolina’s highest honor bestowed on a North Carolina citizen by the governor.

Within the greater Charlotte community, Gene has served on numerous charitable and civic boards and is an Elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA). He has donated his time and financial support to organizations such as the YMCA of Greater Charlotte, Levine Museum of the New South, Teach for America, Hospice and Palliative Care, Communities in Schools, and the Uptown Shelter. Gene has been a longtime supporter of the Y, and is proud to serve as its interim president and CEO.

Donna Bigham Senior Vice President/Chief Financial Officer

Donna Bigham joined the YMCA of Greater Charlotte in 2008 after professional experience as an Audit Manager at Price Waterhouse (now PriceWaterhouseCoopers) and as a financial leader in the manufacturing industry. As the Chief Financial Officer, Donna leads the association Accounting and Finance, Information Technology, Business Office Services and Facilities & Real Estate functions. Donna holds an accounting degree from Clemson University and is a certified public accountant.

Dean Jones Senior Vice President/Chief Development Officer

Dean Jones is responsible for leading the organization's philanthropic and charitable giving programs. Since becoming the Y’s chief fundraiser in 2000, Dean’s leadership and efforts have raised the $165 million in charitable funding for Y programs and initiatives that change lives. Dean is a 1982 graduate of Davidson College. He worked in the commercial lending division of Wachovia in Winston-Salem prior to joining the Development Office at Davidson College, where he served as the Director of Development during the college's $150 million fundraising campaign. Dean and his wife, Jane, have three children, Tanner, Nate and Sarah Grace.

Brooke Reddington Senior Vice President/Chief Human Capital Officer

Brooke Reddington joined the YMCA of Greater Charlotte in 2014 after 12 years of professional experience including retail operations management, merchandising, product purchasing, and human resources at a four diamond luxury resort. As Senior Vice President of Human Capital, Brooke leads the Y’s efforts to develop and support Y employees. Brooke oversees the organization’s human resources, leadership development and training, and staffing and recruitment teams. Born and raised in Tuscaloosa, Brooke holds a bachelor’s degree in business and earned her MBA-HR in 2009. Brooke and her husband, Michael, have one son, Gabriel.

Adrianne Hobbs Senior Vice President of Northern Operations and Youth Development

She has been committed to serving the Greater Charlotte community since 2006 through programs and services at the YMCA of Greater Charlotte. Adrianne believes that we have a responsibility to foster the unique potential of every child who is a part of our Y. Prior to joining the YMCA team, Adrianne was an elementary school teacher in Baltimore Maryland. She holds her masters degree in Early Childhood Education from Towson University. Adrianne is supported by her husband Dennis Hobbs and their four children Daevin, Ella, Camri and Reason Hobbs.