Debbie Armijo is one of the first faces you see at the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area (BGCAA) office. She greets everyone with kindness and a smile. After 14 years at BGCAA, Debbie is moving onto her next chapter, and is retiring to her new home in Canyon Lake.

Debbie’s long career with Boys & Girls Clubs started in November of 2004 when she had the title of Office Manager. Initially, Debbie didn’t know much about the organization, but she was drawn to the mission. When Debbie started, BGCAA served three Clubs and about 15 employees. During her stay here, she has seen the organization grow and expand to 33 Clubs across Travis and Bastrop Counties, and she’s been there every step of the way.

Her titles and duties have changed throughout the years, but her dedication to BGCAA’s mission has remained steady. Debbie says she’s stayed 14 years with the organization because “the work at BGCAA really does change lives.”

As Executive Assistant to Misti Potter, CEO of BGCAA, Debbie’s days are packed with balancing impossible schedules and demanding workloads, but her contributions to the organization go beyond the office. She has become an important part of the organization as a source of positivity, friendliness, and warmth.

“I am forever grateful for Debbie…She has a heart. She loves our kids. She loves our staff, and she keeps it fun. I never know what she’s going to say or do. To find somebody with that level of passion again is impossible. Who she is as a person has really been the difference maker. I hate losing her, but I am so very excited for the next chapter she is embarking on,” says CEO Misti Potter, who has worked with Debbie for the past three years. “The next person to serve as the Executive Assistant to the CEO will not have shoes to fill. She or he will need to come in with their own set of footwear.”

Debbie says that some things she’ll miss most are the people—the people at the organization and the people we serve.

Debbie will be dearly missed, but she will always be a part of this Club!

BLUE CREW FOREVER!