By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer

Former WTVD sports anchor Drew Smith has been named as the new development director for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro YMCA.

Smith recently returned to Chapel Hill from Sarasota, Fla., where he worked as a news anchor and a reporter for about a year. Before moving to Sarasota, Smith had spent 15 years in Chapel Hill working for WTVD.

He came back to Chapel Hill when the position with the YMCA became available.

“It’s nice to be a part of an organization that really wants to benefit the community as a whole,” he said, adding that he hopes to help the YMCA continue to make improvements and serve more people in the community.
Plus, “This area is home for us,” Smith said.

Smith will help the YMCA raise money to build an 18,000-square-foot youth teen center, which is projected to cost about $4 million. The center will be located behind the YMCA’s building on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

At this point, Smith said, he is learning as much as he can about the organization and its partnerships and collaborations.

“I’m just sort of in that sponge mode where I’m taking everything in,” he said.