PAT WYNN: The CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of North Alabama uses his past experiences to make a difference in the community he grew up in
While a U.S. viewing total solar eclipse passed by just hours the day before, the spattering of cries from a newborn boy came from Huntsville Hospital on Sunday, March 8, 1970. Pat Wynn, oldest of three children in the Wynn family, would soon embark on a life that has altered the lives of thousands with his work the Boys and Girls Clubs of North Alabama.
His upbringing in Butler Terrace, the public housing area along Clinton Avenue just west of Memorial Parkway in building 2215, which still stands today, was one where Wynn didn’t know he and his family lacked so much. He was your typical young boy riding his bicycle whenever he could and playing sports non-stop all while his single mother worked wherever she could and soon took a job as a janitor on Redstone Arsenal with the dream of one day having an office of her own like the ones she was responsible for cleaning every day. Her desire to enrich her life led her to earn a college degree and for 35 years prior to her retirement worked in an office with her own desk as a U.S. Government employee.
“My mom was my tangible role model who taught me to make yourself better by working hard and change the lives of those around you,” said Wynn.
Since 2008, Wynn has been the CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of North Alabama where he is the caretaker of 15 facilities, a $7.1-million budget and up to 175 employees during certain times of the year, all along while making a difference in the community he grew up in.
“Everything starts at the top as I feel God gave me the vision on how to operate this organization,” said Wynn, now 56 with three boys of his own with Kecia, his wife of 22 years. “I worked with an insurance fraud company, detention home here in Huntsville and at Three Springs as a therapeutic counselor before I hooked up with the Boys and Girls Club in 1998. I’m proud to say I’ve been with this organization for 28 years starting out as a program director, which lasted two weeks before being promoted to the club director. I remained in that position until 2003 where I was named Vice President of Operations. Five years later, I was named CEO in the position where I remain today.”
Wynn’s trip into participating in organized sports began with both football and basketball at the old McCormick Branch of the YMCA in southwest Huntsville on Triana Blvd. Upon entering Stone Middle School and with his family moving to north Huntsville, he chose to play only basketball as he didn’t like the football program the way it was. He remained with recreational football until he arrived at Huntsville High School where he soon made his long lasting mark on the Panthers’ athletic program.
“Football was always my first love as I didn’t play at Stone, but I made up my mind I was going to play at Huntsville as it was an easy transition for me,” said Wynn, he indicated his freshman coach was Mark Mincher, who is now Athletic Director at Madison Academy. “I played four years of football and basketball and ran track as I ran the 100, 200, 4×100 and 4×200 events.” At Huntsville High, Wynn was named All-City in both football and basketball and All-State in football as a running back. He was among a backfield some consider the fastest to ever grace the starting backfield in city school history.
Wynn’s athletic talents led him to earn a full athletic scholarship to Southern Miss where he played four years and earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 1993. Wynn added, “I thought about becoming a lawyer or working for the FBI, but one thing stood out for me. I had friends that didn’t make it out of the public housing and some of the chaos in some of those surroundings and have what I had. I felt blessed to have a mother who cared for us and helped us become responsible citizens in our community. The closer I got to graduation at Southern Miss, I told my advisor I had to go back to Huntsville and make a difference in people’s lives.”
His younger brother of five years, Terrance works as a manager at an Avis Rental Car in Huntsville. Their younger sister, Narcissus, died of a heart attack in 2022 at age 43 to what was attributed to COVID.
Wynn’s three boys, Terrell, 36, is a local program manager, Brandon, 34, owns his own video production company in Nashville, and Dillan is currently a senior at MTSU where he’s a member of the Blue Raiders’ band. Wynn feels he instilled into his children the same basics of what he was taught and learned growing up in west Huntsville.
When not working, Wynn said family and church are extremely important in his life. He also hits the 24-7 Gym three days a week at 5:00 a.m. in an attempt to remain in good physical condition. He is a member of the 20-member male choir at Progressive Union Missionary Baptist Church located off Oakwood Ave. and spends much of his time with Kecia.
Wynn has accomplished a lot in his life and he’s glad his mother had the chance to witness his success in the community prior to her death on May 28, 2026.
“I’ve had the riches of athletics in my life as I was voted into the Huntsville-Madison County Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010 and into the Southern Miss Alumni Hall of Fame just seven years ago,” said Wynn, who indicated he feels his greatest success story is within the Boys and Girls Club. “I’ve won numerous awards while with the organization including both the Leadership Award from the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Southeast Region and the National Leadership Award, both of which are named the Herman S. Prescott Award. I’m proud of those awards, but even prouder of the outcomes I see with our kids we take care of here in North Alabama.”
His vision of beginning the 2021 Comprehensive Capital Campaign came reality raising over $12-million, which allowed to build new facilities in several locations, purchase a fleet of vans for club use, but, most importantly, scholarships for attending youth club members. In Huntsville alone, in the club’s five different locations, over 4,000 youth are served each year.
“I’m a community person. It all starts with God and family as I truly believe in the circle of influence being a big play in achieving success,” said Wynn. “All of this gives me pride. I work to make my community a better place. At the Boys & Girls Club, we’ve changed a lot of lives. There are thousands we’ve put in their lives in a different trajectory. The feeling is in my soul. I feel enriched, that’s why I’m still here as I owe Huntsville a lot of gratitude.”
The annual budget for the Boys & Girls Club is based on 30-percent coming from government funding while the remaining 70-percent stemming from fundraising from companies and individuals of the area. Wynn began his position with a $1.7-million budget which has grown enormously including the fact other communities across North Alabama, such as Athens, Scottsboro and Decatur, all reached out to Huntsville’s success story. “I’m proud of our growth,” added Wynn. “The greatest accomplishments among our organization has been creating healthy reputations of what we do and how we do it.”
Wynn’s name is tantamount to community success. It all began with the wailing of that newborn in the delivery room of Huntsville Hospital, which carried over the challenges while growing up with very little more than the necessities, and has followed to his immense success of making a difference in the community, just as he always dreamed he wanted to do.
