Transition in Leadership at United Way

Dear United Way Board and Staff,

It is with mixed emotions that I share with you that I have made the decision to resign as President and CEO of United Way of Greater Charlotte, effective June 30, to accept the role of President of Foundation For The Carolinas, which is led by CEO Cathy Bessant.

I have spent more than twelve years of my career with United Way, the last six leading the organization. During that time, the organization underwent tremendous change. We launched three new community initiatives: United Neighborhoods, Unite Charlotte, and A Home For All, rebranded the organization, stabilized and diversified revenue and modernized and streamlined operations. We did this during a time of great upheaval in the country, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the racial unrest and reckoning following the murder of George Floyd. These seismic events shaped the future of the organization and, as a result, our funding to grassroots and neighborhood-based organizations has expanded as has our funding to organizations led by people of color.

It has been a gift to work with such an extraordinary group of people. You are each deeply committed to our organization’s mission and work tirelessly to create ripples of good throughout our community. Change is always hard but I have complete confidence in the future of the organization and look forward to supporting it in my new role.

United Way’s mission, to use collective giving to improve economic mobility and racial equity, is as important as ever. Our region continues to experience tremendous growth, which creates both opportunities and challenges. Together, we must continue to make our community a place where all can reach their full potential, regardless of the zip code in which they were born.

I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to lead United Way and thankful to all of our supporters, including individuals, corporate and private foundations and local government, for their commitment to our organization. I am also thankful for the over 130 nonprofit partners we support that work every day to create a better tomorrow for children, families and neighborhoods across our region.   

 
Sincerely,

Laura Yates Clark