Meet Our New President and CEO, Alma Fumiko Hesus!
Alma Fumiko Hesus has been appointed President and CEO of United Way of Lane County, succeeding Noreen J. Dunnells.
Please join us in welcoming the future of leadership at United Way of Lane County!
Following 40 years of leadership in the United Way network and 13 years as President and CEO of United Way of Lane County, Noreen J. Dunnells is retiring this July to embark on new adventures. In preparation for this leadership transition, our board and staff have been engaged in a robust, multi-stage hiring process to find our next executive leader.
After an extensive national search, we are delighted to announce that Alma Fumiko Hesus – our current VP of Resource Development – has been selected to serve as our next President and CEO of United Way of Lane County!
Alma Fumiko Hesus shares information about United Way's Racial Justice Fund in 2022
Born in rural Oregon and raised in Guam, Alma has proudly shared her Palauan heritage as a leader in Lane County since 1997, joining the team at United Way in 2015.
With a community-centric background in resource development and communications, Alma is highly skilled at developing and sustaining relationships with individuals and organizations across our diverse communities.
Here are a few more fun and impactful details about Alma:
She has led cross-sector partnerships and launched community initiatives for United Way like the Racial Justice Fund to drive equity and impact here in Lane County.
She currently oversees many dynamic areas of United Way's work, including resource development, community investments, marketing and communications, and volunteerism.
She is the current chair of the Lane Transit District Strategic Planning Committee and serves on the Springfield Library Foundation Board and the Pacific Cascade Federal Credit Union Board. She is also the past-president of the KLCC Foundation Board
She volunteered as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) for five years, fueling her commitment to working on the prevention of systemic issues impacting children and families.
We are thrilled to welcome Alma’s leadership as we head into this new era of growth and impact in Lane County!
“The work we do today - especially around access, literacy, and belonging - must uplift the lives of those who will shape tomorrow. If we want a stronger, more connected future for children in Lane County, we must build it now, together.”
Alma (far left) and Noreen (second from left) celebrate the generosity of the 2017 employee campaign at SELCO Community Credit Union
The Future of United Way
In the coming weeks, we will share information about opportunities for our community to connect with Alma (including our Community Breakfast on September 11 – please save the date!) She will be actively participating in conversations and collaborations across the county to hear from folks directly, learning from people across Lane County as she determines and brings new vision and direction to our work.
In the midst of this exciting change and opportunity, we’ll also continue to advance our core mission of mobilizing people and organizations – connecting, convening, and collaborating across Lane County – to ensure that our children and families thrive. From strategic impact investments in local organizations and coalitions, to direct actions like BookFest and Days of Caring, we remain engaged, committed, inspired – and poised to implement new ideas, initiatives, and direction!