RED WING, Minn. – The United Way of Goodhue, Wabasha & Pierce (UWGWP) Counties today announced that Maureen Nelson, will be retiring from her position as Executive Director June 30, 2023.

United Way Board President, Kathleen Kelly, said “Maureen has provided leadership to this organization and this community for many years. We appreciate all she has done, and we know she will continue to care about communities served by UWGWP.”

During her tenure, Nelson has provided leadership in distributing over $3.5 million in funding throughout our service area. She has worked closely with businesses, the service community and local governments to strengthen communities.

“The decision to leave United Way was not an easy one,” said Nelson. “My years with this organization have provided me with wonderful opportunities, experiences, and relationships. From leading a team through a variety of development and community impact projects to navigating a pandemic, every day brought interesting, new challenges.

“I am most proud of the work our team has accomplished in reducing food insecurity for so many children throughout our service area with the Packing for the Weekend program. The program began over 11 years ago, serving 30 children in one school and now feeds 233 children in seven school districts every week.

“I have had the pleasure of working with many dedicated people in the non-profit, business and government sectors, who have taught me so much. The clients, donors, volunteers, and staff I have had the honor to serve are the ones who have inspired me; they have given me more than I could ever give them. I am so proud of the work we accomplished together in challenging and changing systems to improve lives. I am leaving the United Way GWP in excellent hands. It is time for a new director to lead this organization into its next exciting phase.”

“We thank Maureen for her years of remarkable service and wish her the best of luck in her new endeavors. Her enthusiasm and leadership will be deeply missed. As we wish Maureen all the best, we also begin our search for the next Executive Director. We anticipate having the new ED in place by early summer,” said Kelly.

The mission at United Way of Goodhue, Wabasha and Pierce Counties is to improve people’s lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities. The volunteer-driven, nonprofit organization is dedicated to advancing the common good. It’s less about helping one person at a time and more about changing systems to help all of us. We are all connected and interdependent. Ultimately, when a child succeeds in school, when families are financially stable, and when people are healthy, we all win. We believe the building blocks to a good life are education, basic needs and health-our three large goals. United Way recruits people and organizations who bring the passion, expertise and resources needed to get things done. We invite you to be a part of the change right here in our community. You can give, you can advocate, and you can volunteer. That’s what it means to LIVE UNITED!

To learn more, go to https://www.unitedwaygwp. org/ To apply for the Executive Director Position, go to https://jobs.minnesotanonprofits. org or CONTACT: [email protected] org

Submitted by United Way of Goodhue, Wabasha & Pierce Counties