| By Big Radio News Staff |
United Way’s Blackhawk Region’s board says it will hunt nationally for a new leader after the CEO they hired out of a local search left the United Way after just three months on the job.
United Way announced CEO Lisa Hurda left the agency abruptly last week after taking the helm in October. Hurda was hired out of a search the board conducted last year on its own.
United Way Blackhawk Board President Tom McCawley says this time around, the board aims to hire a professional recruitment consultant to run a national search for a new CEO.
He says the board hopes to get a broader range of candidates via a national search than they did conducting the mainly local hunt that led to Hurda’s hire.
McCawley wouldn’t give details on Hurda’s departure from United Way, saying the agency has a policy of keeping personnel matters private.
A new CEO would be the agency’s third in less than two years.
Hurda’s predecessor, former United Way Blackhawk CEO Mary Fanning left the United Way in March of 2024 after 10 years at the helm.
The Blackhawk region is the umbrella agency that disburses millions of dollars of funds annually to dozens of state-line nonprofits and social service organizations.
Meanwhile, longtime United Way Blackhawk fixture Denise Peters Kauihou steps in as interim CEO.
Kauihou has made it clear she’s retiring soon, and her filling in would be temporary.
McCawley says the United Way faces the challenge of entering its annual community giving campaign while juggling a search for a new top leader.
But he says Kauihou brings experience and knowledge to provide “continuity” in the interim.
