John M. Ortega

About John M. Ortega

I am an executive leader in Youth Development at the YMCA of South Florida, responsible for the grants and operations portfolio that keeps after school, summer, and enrichment programs running across Miami-Dade. I oversee a multi million dollar mix of public and private funding and focus on turning every dollar into safe, high quality programs for children and families while keeping our work compliant, sustainable, and aligned to community needs.My role sits at the intersection of strategy, finance, compliance, and people. I partner with senior leadership, school districts, municipalities, and funders, and I build the systems and leadership capacity that allow site teams to focus on youth instead of paperwork. I hold an MBA and am pursuing a Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership, using that work to strengthen culture, align teams, and connect day to day operations to long term impact.

Experience

1. Vice President, Youth Development

   YMCA of South Florida

   Dec 2025 — Present · Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL, US

   Serve as the senior executive responsible for Youth Development, providing enterprise-level leadership for programs, people, and resources that support children, families, and communities across Miami-Dade County. Set vision, strategy, and operational direction for a broad portfolio of after school, summer, camp, and enrichment programs, ensuring safe, high-quality, and mission-aligned services at scale. Lead a comprehensive Youth Development portfolio spanning program operations, grants and public funding, compliance, staffing, and systems infrastructure. Establish department-wide vision, strategic priorities, and performance expectations aligned with Association goals and community impact objectives. Provide executive oversight of a multi-million-dollar operating and grant-funded portfolio, ensuring fiscal stewardship, sustainability, and strong internal controls. Direct and develop senior leaders overseeing operations, grants, compliance, quality assurance, and data systems. Serve as the primary executive liaison to major public funders, school districts, municipal partners, and community stakeholders. Guide long-range planning, site growth, risk management, and organizational readiness across school-year and summer programming. Use attendance, financial, and outcome data to inform executive decision-making, resource allocation, and continuous improvement. Ensure full compliance with federal, state, and local requirements, including licensing standards, grant deliverables, and audit expectations.

Education

• Florida Atlantic University

  Master of Business Administration, Project Management

  2019

• Nova Southeastern University

  Doctor of Education - EdD, Organizational Leadership