United Way Worldwide Picks Williams As New CEO

Easter seal President and CEO Angela F. Williams will be the next CEO of United Way Worldwide (UWW) – the first woman and the first African American to lead the organization, which includes nearly 1,200 member organizations in the United States and around the world.

Williams has headed Easterseals, based in Chicago, since 2018. She will become CEO with effect from October 15. She served 11 years as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Administration Officer at the YMCA in the United States. they also was the interfaith liaison for the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund, where she helped assess and manage the impact on places of worship in areas affected by the hurricane that struck the Gulf Coast region in August 2005.

Williams will succeed Brian Gallagher. who resigned in February after 40 years in the club. He joined United Way in 1981 and ran several local subsidiaries before becoming CEO of United Way of America in 2002 and United Way Worldwide in 2009.

Gallagher announced his resignation on March 1, one week after an internal investigation found that the national bureau did not take “actionable harassment, discrimination or retaliation” against three employees who complained to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) submitted. Gallagher said he had been working on a succession plan for two years with a transition through the end of 2021 but decided to leave earlier.

The resignation of United Way Worldwide / US President Suzanne McCormick last month left the organization to fill her three top management positions. McCormick stepped down to become President of the US YMCA in Chicago, and UWW International President José Pedro Ferrão previously announced his planned resignation in late 2021.

United Way has more than 1,000 US subsidiaries with consolidated annual sales of $ 4 billion. The Alexandria, Virginia-based national bureau reported total revenue of nearly $ 250 million for the fiscal year ended December 2019, the latest federal Form 990 available.Gallagher earned total earnings of $ 1.5 million that year, including a base pay of nearly $ 550,000.

United Way’s announcement did not include details of the compensation for Williams. For the year ending 2019, Williams earned total compensation of nearly $ 425,000, according to the latest Form 990 available for Easterseals.

“United Way Worldwide is at a critical juncture as we want to transform our 135 year old organization to continue to have a strong and equitable impact on the community in the future,” Dr. Juliette M. Tuakli, Chair of the UWW Board of Trustees, said about a statement announcing the date today. “We wanted a leader who could mobilize our United Way network, supporters and United Way Worldwide around a clear vision based on the need to create greater impact, justice and growth in communities,” she said. “Angela’s background and experience make her uniquely suited to creating and driving this vision. The CEO Search Committee was impressed with her strategic acumen, innovative thinking and purposeful mindset which we believe will provide a fresh perspective in reinterpreting United Way and ensuring we remain relevant and impactful for years to come. “

After graduating from law school, Williams began her career for more than six years as an active member of the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps and during Operation Desert Storm. She went on to serve as special criminal law attorney for the Senate Judiciary Committee of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. Williams also served on the Department of Justice’s National Church Arson Task Force and served as the U.S. Assistant Attorney for the Florida Central District.

Born in Anderson, SC, Williams graduated from the University of Virginia with a BA in American Government; a law doctorate from the University of Texas School of Law; and a Master of Divinity cum laude from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University. She is an ordained minister and volunteer pastor with her husband, Rev. Roderick Williams.