United Voices: An Interview with Board Member Avaleen Crawford-Williams

By: Taylor Mabrey, Content Manager

United Voices is a series of interviews with community leaders sharing their expertise, passion and involvement across the greater Charlotte region. 

This month, I sat down with United Way of Greater Charlotte Board of Directors’ Finance Vice-Chair Avaleen Crawford-Williams, to talk about her background, her current role in the community and why she got involved with United Way.

Q: Tell me a little bit about yourself.

A: I started my career here in Charlotte about 20 years ago, at PwC, providing professional services to our clients in the retail and consumer industrial products industry and mainly performing audits of financial statements. My current role is to help our clients, lead our teams as a partner in the firm and help further advance our firm’s purpose, which is to build trust in society and to solve important problems. 

Q: What led you to join United Way’s Board?

A: I’ve been on the board for about two years now and I think the work of United Way of Greater Charlotte speaks for itself, as a convener. The way the organization takes bold action to lead and take on big, complex issues in our community with a belief that we can make a lasting change is one of my favorite things.

Q: What most excites you about United Way’s mission?

A: The organization is very involved with A Home For All in bringing together the private and public sector and working with the city to help solve homelessness, which is a complex problem in our community. What excites me about the organization is its willingness to lead on such big issues rather than shy away from them.

Q: How has United Way connected you to the community?

A:  The fact that I am gaining greater insight into the issues of our community, the work that’s being done and really understanding what, as a community, needs to be done, and how we can help drive some of that; that’s how United Way has helped me get better connected to the community.

Q: Why is giving back to the community important to you?

A: I’m a believer that what we’re given is not just for us, but is an opportunity to use the talents and the resources I have been blessed with to help others.

Meet the rest of United Way’s Board of Directors.