United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County announced on Wednesday that it has hired Dan Leroy as its next president and CEO. A search committee consisting of board and staff leadership, and led by Walker-Wilson Consulting, conducted a nationwide search after current CEO, David Bailey, announced his retirement following 23 years of service with the organization. "A pool of more than 270 applicants confirms something we already knew; the opportunity to lead an organization of this caliber is something that doesn’t come around every day. As a result, we had an exemplary field of applicants to choose from," Mission Health Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer Paul McDowell said. McDowell serves as United Way’s board chair and led the search committee. "We know how important selecting the right candidate is to our community and the board voted unanimously to bring Dan onto our team."
Leroy is no stranger to the nonprofit community in the Asheville area. He and his previous business partner, DeWayne Barton, co-founded Green Opportunities (GO) in 2008 as a way to ensure that higher paying green economy jobs were more accessible to people hardest hit by racial and economic inequity. After leaving GO, Leroy led the development team at NC Outward Bound School where he not only directed fundraising efforts of more than $1.5 million annually but also led a successful $12 million comprehensive campaign.
"United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County has benefited from a history of strong staff and volunteer leadership," United Way Vice President, Lance Edwards said. "We stand committed to improving the education, financial stability and health of everyone in Buncombe County. We know that our strategies and programs are strong, but we must continue to evolve if we are to achieve our mission over the long term. Our board and staff know that Dan is deeply committed to this community and has the right mixture of grassroots relationships, entrepreneurial thinking and donor relationship building experience to help us get there."
Leroy moved to Asheville in 2007 from Northern California, where he launched his career in nonprofit leadership, experiential education and environmental sustainability. He earned a master’s degree in Ecology from the University of California, Davis after graduating from the University of Michigan’s School of Environment and Sustainability in Ann Arbor. Leroy lives in West Asheville with his wife Marin, and two boys, Leif and Kai.
“It is an incredible honor to follow David Bailey as the next president and CEO of United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County. " Leroy said. "David and his outstanding team of staff, board members and volunteers have done a brilliant job positioning UWABC to be a powerful agent of systems-level change in Buncombe County. I couldn’t be more excited to join them in their efforts to ensure every person in our community has access to good jobs, quality health care and a first-rate education.”
David Bailey will begin his retirement on May 3 and Dan Leroy will assume the CEO position on May 28, 2019.
