NEW UWW CEO STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF A CENTURY OF LEADERS

United Way began as a voluntary association of local Denver charities in 1887, and has grown into a network of affiliates that share the mission “to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities to advance the common good.” 

Only nine people have been called upon to lead the alliance of local, state, national, and International United Way organizations during its 134-year history. Each of its leaders has brought unique experiences to the job. Each has made significant contributions to the organization and its affiliates. Each one stands on the shoulders of those who have come before, ready to further the vision of our greatest goal: to live UNITED.

Glance through history as we prepare for the arrival of our newest President and CEO, Angela F. Williams. 

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​2021 - PRESENT
​ANGELA F. WILLIAMS, PRESIDENT AND CEO, UNITED WAY WORLDWIDE

Named to Forbes’ 2021 List of Women 50 Over 50 Creating Social Change at Scale, Williams brings more than 30 years of management experience to this role, including significant executive leadership experience in major non-profit organizations. Before joining Easterseals, Williams spent 11 years as EVP, general counsel, and chief administration officer at YMCA of the USA.  Prior her position at Y-USA, Williams was the interfaith liaison for the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund, where she helped assess the effects on and manage the financial support for houses of worship in areas impacted by the hurricane. 
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“I am absolutely honored to join the world’s leading charity at a key moment in the organization’s history and world events," Williams said. “Around the world, issues of health, education and economic sustainability are at the forefront of ensuring equality and access to a good quality of life.  I recognize and appreciate the tremendous role that United Way Worldwide plays in supporting individuals and families and transforming communities.  I am committed to working with the Board, volunteers, partners and staff to build on the rich legacy of the organization in its second century of service.”

Read the full press release from United Way here

​2002 – 2021
​BRIAN A. GALLAGHER, PRESIDENT AND CEO, UNITED WAY WORLDWIDE

Gallagher launched his United Way career in 1981, working for five different local United Way organizations, most recently Columbus, Ohio. In 2002, he became President and CEO of United Way of America. He led the 2009 joining of United Way of America and United Way International to form United Way Worldwide and became its president and CEO.  During his term of office, he led today’s global network of support for health, education and financial stability of individuals and families in more than 1,800 communities and 40 countries. Today, this network enjoys the support of nearly 3 million volunteers, over 8 million donors, and raises a cumulative annual total of $4.8 billion.

During his term of office, Gallagher was responsible for system-wide United Way changes including a focus on United Way impact on education, financial stability and health, the adoption of membership standards that require affiliates to practice financial consistency and transparency in financial reporting and leadership in diversity, equality and inclusion. Under his leadership, in 2009, United Way launched the LIVE UNITED campaign to engage individuals and organizations in “supporting the recovery, reimagining and rebuilding of communities across the world.” In addition, he spearheaded United Way Worldwide’s technological capacity to serve by increasing its electronic services and fostering the development of platforms such as the Salesforce.org Philanthropy Cloud and Workplace by Facebook. “Without question,” he wrote in a 2019 UWRA newsletter, “the rate of change in United Way is increasing in direct proportion to the increasing speed of technological change. We will continue to enjoy success in fulfilling our vital mission so long as we all continue to demonstrate our proven capacity to transform ourselves in response to change.” 

​1997 – 2001  
​BETTY STANLEY BEENE, PRESIDENT AND CEO, UNITED WAY OF AMERICA

Before joining the United Way movement, Beene served as the CEO of two major Girl Scout Councils, first in San Jacinto, California, the second in Houston, Texas. she developed the friendship and respect of local and national non-profit and business executives.  Building on those experiences and the friendship and respect of local and national agency and business executives she earned in Scouting, Beene spent the next twelve years leading the United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast, then the Tri-State United Way in New York City. From New York, she moved to Alexandria, Virginia to head the United Way of America.

​​During her years as United Way of America President, Beene initiated the development of National Standards of Excellence and initiated the first national venture into electronic pledge processing.
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She became known for her recognition of the achievements of others with hugs and her signature United Way teddy bears. Her leadership was characterized by her concern for continuous improvement.  Her speeches to local and national United Way audiences stressed the need to keep up with the ever-increasing rate of social and technological change and listening carefully to their constituents. She challenged United Way volunteers and professionals alike to embrace, rather than reject, change. ''Our United Way system is a national treasure that must constantly renew itself if we are to successfully carry out our mission.” she observed at her final national Community Leaders’ Conference.

​​1992 – 1996  
​ELAINE LAN CHAO, PRESIDENT, UNITED WAY OF AMERICA

Among her accomplishments before joining United Way of America, Chao served as an officer of Bank of America, a Reagan White House Fellow, Chairwoman of the Federal Maritime Commission and Director of the Peace Corps. Following her United Way leadership, she served as President George H.W. Bush’s U.S. Secretary of Labor and President Donald Trump’s U.S. Secretary of Transportation.

​During her years of United Way of America leadership, Chao is credited with re-establishing national confidence in the organization and leading major increases in United Way of America’s national public policy activities in the areas of welfare reform and poverty reduction.  

Her passion for this work was exemplified in 1995 comments to United Way of America’s Community Leaders’ Conference at which she said, “Without the compassion and generosity shown by our entire United Way family, millions upon millions of children and families would not know where to turn for help.  True to the United Way mission, you, as United Way leaders, along with countless other volunteers, staff, donors and non-profit agencies, represent the best of our country’s caring for people in need."

1992 – 1992
​KENNETH “KEN” W. DAM, INTERIM PRESIDENT, UNITED WAY OF AMERICA

Dam’s experience provided him with the critical skills that United Way of America needed to begin to move from under the cloud of embarrassment created by his predecessor. His assignment was to reorganize its staff and governance in order to reestablish the organization’s credibility and the confidence of its constituents and the general public. . Immediately prior to his United Way of America appointment, Ken served as IBM’s Vice President for Law and External Relations. Prior that, he was President Ronald Reagan’s Deputy Secretary of State, Provost of the University of Chicago and Executive Director of the 1973 White House Council on Economic Policy. Subsequent to his work at United Way of America, Ken served as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Treasury Department, then returned to the University of Chicago Law School faculty.  Speaking to United Way of America’s National Professional Council, Ken shared his perspective that, “You represent the spirit of America. At home, you support a system of essential services. Here, you supply energy to one another and the national association that is committed to your success back home.” 

​1970 – 1992  
​WILLIAM “BILL” ARAMONY, PRESIDENT, UNITED WAY OF AMERICA

Aramony began his United Way career as a staff planner for the South Bend, Indiana Community Chest. Subsequently, he was hired as a local executive in Columbia, South Carolina, then Miami, Florida. During his years at United Way of America, he moved the headquarters from New York City to Alexandria, Virginia, created the National Academy of Voluntarism professional training center, formed a partnership with the National Football League, promoted the development of United Way organizations in dozens of countries outside the United States and supported an increase of United Way campaign receipts in the United States from $787 million in 1970 to more than $3.1 billion in 1990.
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He called for all United Way of America affiliates to adopt the United Way name and newly introduced “helping hand” logo and inspired major operational changes in over 2,200 affiliates with the 1978 strategic blueprint entitled “Rebirth and Renewal.” His professional philosophy was expressed as follows in his1987 book United Way, the Next 100 Years, “The capacity exists to build a system that serves the whole community. It begins with non-vested volunteer involvement. It demands long-term commitment to solving key social problems. It is based on the unwavering conviction that every community group should be invited to participate in the process, and that exclusion of even one key group is wrong.”

In 1992, Aramony resigned from his position while under investigation for misusing United Way of America funds for personal purposes.

​​1960 – 1970  
​LYMAN S. FORD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, UNITED COMMUNITY FUNDS AND COUNCILS OF AMERICA

Ford began his United Way career as publicity director and assistant to the executive secretary of the Community Fund and Council of Social Agencies in Columbus, Ohio. He went on to become executive secretary of the Community Chest and Social Planning Council in Kansas City, Missouri and the Community Chest and Council of Social Agencies in Evanston, Illinois before joining the staff of Community Chests and Councils of America in 1938. There, he worked as director of the Health and Welfare planning Department until being named “CCC’s” associate director in 1950.  The organization’s name was changed to United Community Funds and Councils of America [UCFCA] during Ford’s years as executive director.
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Known for his tact and diplomacy, Ford oversaw a decade of local social service agency fund-raising drives promoted by corporate leaders who wanted to simplify payroll giving into a single unified drive. His commitment to professional development was supported by his creation of four regional Field Service/Personnel regions, each staffed with experienced United Way professionals and committed to supporting professional career development and mobility.  His additional national volunteer board service during these years cemented United Way relationships with the National Information Bureau, the National Council on Social Work and the National Conference of Lawyers and Social Workers.  “Cooperation,” he was fond of saying, brings life to the expression, ‘a rising tide lifts all boats.’”

​1943 – 1960  
​RALPH H. BLANCHARD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, COMMUNITY CHESTS AND COUNCILS OF AMERICA

Blanchard began his United Way career as the first director of the Niagara Falls, New York, Community Chest and Council of Social Agencies. In 1929 he joined the staff of Community Chests and Councils of America as administrative director. He temporarily left the national organization during the 1930s to head the New York Community Chest and later, the New York War Fund. Virgil Martin, a New York War Fund employee who would go on to become president and chairman of Chicago’s department store giant Carson Pirie Scott and Co., said that Blanchard had “a unique style, a sort of self-denigration which I never believed for a minute. Everything Ralph said and did was driven by his humanitarian interest and a desire to take care of his own people.” 
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Blanchard returned to “Three Cs” as its executive director in 1943.  Building on the close working relationships he had formed with national corporate leaders while in New York, Blanchard garnered their support in creating the National Health and Welfare Retirement Association, a national retirement savings program for employees of not-for-profit organizations, most of whom had been excluded from Social Security coverage.   For fourteen years, Blanchard served not only as the chief professional officer of Community Chests and Councils of America, but at the same time was the architect and 14-year president of “NH&WRA,” today’s Mutual of America Financial Group.   ​

​​​​1926 – 1943  
​ALLEN T. BURNS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, COMMUNITY CHESTS AND COUNCILS OF AMERICA

The first professional leader of the United Way movement assumed his position in 1926.
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Following completion of his studies at the University of Chicago, Burns’ work in Chicago settlement houses led him to become his alma mater’s dean of its School of Civics and Philanthropy. From there, he headed the Cleveland Foundation and then became director of the National Information 

Bureau. In 1921, his colleagues elected him to the presidency of the National Conference of Social Work. 

In 1926, those “NCSW” members who were employed by local Community Chests, Federations of Social Agencies and Social Planning Councils formed a “spin-off” organization, named it Community Chests and Councils of America and employed Burns as its first executive director. He continued in that position until his retirement in 1943. 

Burns’ New York Times obituary included the following: “The number of local community chests and local welfare councils increased enormously under the vigorous leadership of Mr. Burns.  His influence during this period of growth was very important because he continuously sought improved educational standards and opportunities for chest and council personnel and because he always advocated the fact-finding and research approach to problems of community organization.”