Pausing retirement and leaving his home in Village Mills, Texas, Dan Shaddock is in Selma to help.

He will use his 22 years of YMCA experience to enhance both locations as interim chief executive officer of the YMCA board.

“We continue to struggle to make ends meet and we felt like we needed someone with that type of experience to come in on an interim basis and help us,” said Davis Henry, chief volunteer officer and chairman of the YMCA board.

Shaddock, 69, comes well prepared. He has worked as vice president, president or CEO with the YMCA communities of Brewton, Atlanta, Nashville, Tenn., and Baton Rouge, La.

“I’m no magician or miracle worker,” Shaddock said. “All I know to do is to work hard, help the YMCA to be all that it is capable of being and meet the needs of the community, because it is the members of the community that become members of the YMCA.”

Shaddock retired in 2008 after serving as president and CEO in Brewton for 6 years. Charles Trammell, resource director of the YMCA USA in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, recommend Shaddock for the Selma position. Trammell and Shaddock met while Shaddock worked as a field consultant for the YMCA USA.

First order of business is to assess the means to make the YMCA financially stable and create a plan so it can operate in a financially effective way.

“That’s one of the No. 1 challenges because if you don’t have the resources, the other things that you really love to do will be more difficult,” Shaddock said.

He also plans to ask for assistance from surrounding YMCA communities for resources to complete tasks, ranging from training local staff to fixing treadmills.

“We are an association,” Shaddock said. “That means that organizationally we pool our efforts, resources and talents to support and strengthen each other.”

Shaddock will also treat both YMCAs, the Walker-Johnson and the Claude C. Brown, as one entity, showing no favor to either facility.

“From my perspective, I consider it all the Selma-Dallas County YMCA,” Shaddock said. “It’s one organization that has two places of operations. Both of them need help and support in terms of financial resources to get in a financially balanced position. As we address those issues, at both branches, then the association as whole will begin to get healthier.”

The community can aid in the efforts by joining the YMCA as a member, donating financially, attending community YMCA programs or visiting Shaddock at the Walk-Johnson to voice opinions.

“I want the community to talk with us and share ideas of what the YMCA can do and can be to meet needs and to strengthen the community,” Shaddock said.

The YMCA board chose to let go of former CEO Jerry Wang last year to help the budget. After saving part of the allocated money from that salary, the board was able to hire an interim CEO this year.

Shaddock will begin his six-month term as CEO on Tuesday. Staff will first focus to rejuvenate the YMCA under Shaddock’s leadership before searching for a new CEO.

“Right now we just want to get everything situated here financially,” said Yasmin McKinney, director.