MADISON —After 33 years (25 of those as President & CEO) of serving the families and individuals of Dane County, Leslie Ann Howard will retire as President & CEO of United Way of Dane County on December 31, 2015.
“The United Way Board has been planning this leadership transition since Leslie shared her retirement plans a couple of years ago, “ says Nick Meriggioli, 2014 Chair of United Way of Dane County Board of Directors. “As United Way has demonstrated in all its work, it’s extremely important this transition is thoughtful and professional to allow the best possible outcome for our community. We have secured The QTI Group to manage the search process and recruited a top-notch succession/transition committee of local business and community leaders. The Board and I have complete confidence that the momentum of United Way’s work will continue to advance during this time due to Leslie’s hands-on leadership and the strong support of United Way’s staff and volunteers.”
During Leslie’s 33 years with United Way of Dane County, one of the most significant changes she led was the evolution of United Way from a fundraising organization to a community impact organization. This model was developed in direct response to the community’s feedback at numerous open forums to better understand the most critical issues in Dane County. From these conversations our community’s Agenda for Change was born—a series of seven targeted goals focused on measuring and creating significant impact in the areas of Education, Safety and Health. This impact model, first created here in Dane County in 2000, was a catalyst for other United Ways.
