When she recently arrived in the state, Nancy Susan Hanks was warned not to ask people for directions because they would invariably refer to landmarks that are no loner in existence. She heeded the warning and kept her GPS handy. What she wasn’t told is that everything is so close to everything else.

“I’ve been in southern California,” she said. “I’d drive 30 minutes to go to a grocery store.”

Getting to church was a 45-minute drive.

“I’m astounded. This is the greatest place in the world,” she said.

Her commute to work from East Greenwich is about 10 minutes, and while some people complain about the traffic on Centerville Road, it’s like a country lane to Hanks.

Hanks is the new district executive director of the Kent County and West Bay Family YMCAs. She had been on the job barely a week when interviewed Friday morning. She had yet to meet Kent’s full board of directors, not to mention community leaders. But that hasn’t slowed her down.

As evidenced from a sheath of papers she pulled from off her desk, she’s plunged into the budget and is gearing up for the $130,000 scholarship campaign to help those who can’t afford to pay a full membership.

Hanks, who has 25 years of YMCA experience, said she sought the job here because she liked what she saw and the position was a good fit. She defines her challenges as enhancing customer service, developing membership engagement and fundraising.

She most recently served as CEO of the YMCA of Southwest Washington in Longview, Wash., where according to a release on her appointment, “she was responsible for building community support, and engaging staff, community and volunteers to build the presence and advance the mission of the YMCA throughout the community.  Moreover, as CEO she increased community giving, developed a CEO group for YMCA professionals in the Pacific Northwest and increased the number of members who became involved in the Y.”

As part of customer service, Hanks makes a point that everyone entering the Y should be greeted, whether they’re there on their lunch hour to shoot baskets or planning to spend the better part of the day with their kids. And this just doesn’t go for adults.

“Kids need to be recognized when they walk into a room,” she says.

Similarly, she said, people need to be acknowledged when they leave the Y campus.

Apart from peculiar directions, Hanks was also warned that Easterners could be standoffish and not to be put off if they didn’t immediately respond to her greetings. She hasn’t paid too much attention to that advice.

Hanks said some people are surprised by her outgoing mannerisms, but they warm up quickly. That trait should serve her well as she looks to enhance member engagement. While she recognizes some visit the Y because of a particular program or amenity such as the pool, she wants to engage them in other aspects of what the Y offers, to introduce them to other people and programs.

The Kent County YMCA has 4,600 units – a unit is defined as an individual or family membership – making up about 12,000 individuals. Kent will operate on a $5 million budget next year. West Bay, which is in North Kingstown, is smaller, with 1,600 units and 3,500 individuals operating on a $1.3 million budget.

The numbers don’t include another 500 individuals who come under the Electric Boat corporate partnership, explains operations director Trish Driscol.

“We want to touch as many people as we can,” Driscol said.

She said the Y has grown steadily over the past seven to eight years, adding about 1,000 units during that time period.

Hanks said she is looking to create additional partnerships to enhance the community. She is also looking forward to buying a house locally and having her “tribe” of rescue dogs join her.

Prior to her position in Washington, Hanks served as CEO of the Milan Family YMCA in Milan, Tenn. for eight years. As CEO, she was instrumental in turning around a financially troubled YMCA and turning the organization into a 24/7 operation. Under her leadership, the Milan Family Y was granted an ACHIEVE award from the CDC and YUSA to improve the health of the community.

Hanks has been instrumental in key leadership roles at the Edwardsville YMCA in Illinois, Triunfo YMCA in California, and the Northwest YMCA in Cupertino, Calif.

She received her MBA from Fontbonne University in St. Louis, Mo., and her bachelor of science degree from Southern Illinois University.