An area director for a Boys and Girls Club in Tacoma, Wash., will become the new head of the Lawrence organization.

This week, the Boys and Girls Club announced Colby Wilson as its new executive director, a position that has been filled for more than a decade by Janet Bremby.

Wilson has spent the past 10 years with the Boys and Girls Club of South Puget Sound, where he was an area director and oversaw a $3.4 million budget.

“I’m just really excited,” Wilson said of his new post. “I’m humbled by the opportunity the board has given me to come in and lead and to do some great things for the club in Lawrence. I look forward to working with the community.”

Wilson began his career at the Boys and Girls Club while attending graduate school at Seattle Pacific University for sports and exercise leadership. At the time, he wanted to work with collegiate athletes but took a part-time job as an athletic coordinator for the Boys and Girls Club and realized the difference he had on children’s lives.

Over the years, he worked his way up the organization as director of athletics and area director. He remains a strong supporter of the organization’s mission.

“If we reach more kids and make sure kids don’t fall through the cracks at a young age and get them engaged with the process of Boys and Girls Club and partnerships with schools, then we can have an impact on society,” Wilson said.

The board unanimously selected Wilson out of 40 applicants and noted they were impressed with his combination of leadership and analytical skills.

Wilson, who has a wife and two young children, plans to start his new job Feb. 27. Among Wilson’s first goals are to build stronger relationships with high school and middle school students and look for ways to increase revenue.

Bremby announced last year that she was stepping down from her position to move to Connecticut to be with her husband, Rod Bremby. She plans to continue working with the new executive director to ensure a smooth transition.