United Way Worldwide President & CEO Angela F. Williams announced she will retire as soon as a new leader is selected by the board. The reason she gave was to care for her mother. She estimates the transition will occur during “Spring 2026.”
“I stand at a consequential moment that many of you may recognize. I have lost my father, one of the two most important people in my life. One of the last requests my father made of me was to take care of my mother. I have been balancing the role of caregiver and CEO for several years, and now, I find that this is no longer sustainable,” she wrote to the leaders of the United Way system.
A call to Williams and to United Way Worldwide were not immediately returned.
The resignation, announced in a letter to the network from Yuri Fulmer, chair, United Way Worldwide Board of Trustees, comes at a volatile time in the charitable sector. United Ways across the nation are battling to keep services going in the wake of federal cuts and governmental threats regarding their services, such as immigrant services. Changes to the organization’s revenue matrix and philosophy during COVID. The refreshed strategic plan also pushed local United Ways to be less reliant on the international organization. That rethinking of priorities brought the international headquarters from $255.2 million in revenue for fiscal year 2020 to $72.4 million for fiscal 2024, according to the organization’s federal Form 990.
“One of the things I am certain about is that United Way is built to weather change as long as we work together. I know this because we made difficult choices and wrestled with the vision for a network that transforms to meet the needs of a changing world,” she said via the statement to the network members.
The changes also brought Williams’ compensation package down from $991,200 in salary with $54,216 in other income to $779,178 in salary and $150,239 in other income for 2024.
Previous to United Way Worldwide, Williams was president & CEO of Easterseals; executive vice president, general counsel and chief administrative officer of YMCA of the USA; an assistant U.S. attorney; and, worked as a lawyer in the for-profit sector.
The NonProfit Times will be updating this article.
