Road winds to YSB

Nate Lingo’s path has been a winding one.

It’s taken him from inner city hospitals to the distant steppes of Mongolia.

But it has led him to where he wants to be as the new chief executive officer of Youth Service Bureau.

Lingo, who follows longtime YSB leader Reda Theurer-Miller in the role, took on the job in July but continues to consult with Theurer-Miller on a regular basis during a transition period.

At 38, he brings a busy lifetime of experience to the organization.

A 1999 graduate of Jay County High School, he went off to Purdue University with every intent to become a veterinarian. 

“I had worked for Dr. (Christian) Bader, so I went to Purdue thinking vet,” he said.

Then he took a psychology class, and it changed his path.

Transferring to Ball State University after his freshman year, he started working on a psychology major. He also began working part-time at Youth Opportunity Center to get first-hand experience with the problems facing young people.

Graduating with a bachelor’s in psychology in 2003, he dabbled in business with a friend then joined Americorps, working with Habitat for Humanity in Indianapolis.

“I worked in the homeless area of this field (social work),” he said.

He then pursued a master’s degree in social work from IUPUI while continuing to work in the field on a part-time basis.

“My focus was on schools,” he said. “I also worked in hospice for a while.”

After getting his degree, there was another path ahead: Peace Corps.

“I still had that urge to live in a different world,” said Lingo.

He had read Fort Recovery resident Andy Pax’s book on his travels to Mongolia and had an overwhelming desire to experience the country for himself.

Peace Corps was happy to oblige, placing him in a town in eastern Mongolia for two years.

“I lived in a yurt and burned dung for fuel,” he said.

Bathroom facilities were limited to an outhouse. His work there again focused on child development programs.

“Then I came back home and started to look at these unique opportunities,” he said.

The first took him to work in a Virginia “therapeutic boarding school,” a facility for bright but troubled young people. “They needed specialized help,” he said. “But I missed home. I was missing family stuff,” he said. “I found my way back.”

He joined Meridian Health Services, working in a variety of positions and getting a handle on “the corporate side of things.”

Married, he and his wife Erica have a 2-year-old son.

Now his path has taken him to YSB.

“It’s going well,” he said. “This place has a lot of people who love it and make whatever needs to happen happen.”

Guiding him are some things he learned at home. 

“My parents (Ron and Connie Lingo) tried to instill thinking of others, helping others and having that personal connection,” he said.