The Boys & Girls Clubs of South Alabama (BGCSA) has named Jermaine West as its permanent chief executive officer, capping a nearly 24-year career with the youth-serving nonprofit that began when he took a job as a club director in 2002. West had been serving as interim CEO before the organization’s board made the appointment official.
BGCSA is the regional affiliate of Boys & Girls Clubs of America, a national network of after-school and summer programs that gives children and teenagers a safe place to go, along with mentoring, academic support, job-readiness training and recreational activities. The South Alabama affiliate operates multiple club sites across the region, serving families who rely on the organization for supervised, enriching programming outside of school hours.
A Rise Through the Ranks
West’s path to the top of the organization was built from the ground up. After starting as a club director, he moved through a series of increasingly senior roles, including area director, director of teen services and director of operations, before stepping in as interim CEO. That trajectory gave him firsthand experience with nearly every level of the organization’s work, from running day-to-day programming at an individual club to overseeing operations across the wider South Alabama footprint.
Along the way, West built a track record of launching new programs aimed at expanding what the Clubs could offer local youth. He led the creation of the Job Ready Program, which helps prepare teenagers for the workforce, and he spearheaded Alabama’s first Guitars Not Guns program, a national initiative that uses music instruction as an alternative outlet for young people. He also founded the Ignite Summer Leadership Camp, a program designed to build leadership skills among club members during the summer months.
Recognized Growth and Honors
Under West’s leadership, BGCSA saw its youth recognition program flourish, with the organization earning five State Youth of the Year honors — one of the Boys & Girls Clubs movement’s most prominent awards for outstanding club members. The organization also achieved notable membership growth across its various club sites during his tenure in different leadership roles.
West’s individual contributions have drawn recognition well beyond the organization itself. His honors include the Major General J. Cooper Leadership Award, the Alabama Employee of the Year distinction, the Boys & Girls Clubs Full-Time Employee of the Year award, the Man & Youth Award and a Program Excellence Award. Taken together, the honors reflect both his programmatic innovation and his standing among peers in the statewide Boys & Girls Clubs network.
What Comes Next
In his new role as CEO, West said his focus will be on expanding opportunities for children and youth across South Alabama, strengthening partnerships with community organizations, and making sure every child who walks through a club’s doors has access to a safe environment, caring adult mentors and experiences that can shape the course of their lives.
Why It Matters for South Alabama Families
For families across South Alabama, Boys & Girls Clubs sites often serve as a critical piece of the after-school safety net, offering supervised care, tutoring, meals and enrichment programs at a lower cost than many private alternatives. Leadership stability and continuity matter for organizations like BGCSA, which depend heavily on community trust, donor relationships and consistent programming to serve thousands of children each year. West’s promotion from within — following two decades spent in nearly every corner of the organization — signals the board’s intent to build on existing programs rather than chart a sharply different course, while still pursuing growth in partnerships and club offerings under his stated priorities.