Women in Business

Sara Fawcett

Sara Fawcett, president and CEO of United Way of the Midlands, is the organization’s first female chief executive in more than 75 years. Since taking the role in 2017, Fawcett has guided United Way’s evolution in diversifying revenue streams and taking on community-wide issues like affordable housing and workforce development.

In 2020, United Way of the Midlands received a $10 million unrestricted gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. It is believed to be the largest unrestricted gift in our community’s history. Under Fawcett’s leadership, United Way has embarked on a mission to leverage the Scott gift to create affordable housing, improve workforce development, and create community change that will last for generations. Already United Way has leveraged $3 million of the Scott gift to create $68 million in project costs for 375 units of affordable housing, created Young Men United to promote job creation, and built capacity within United Way and our impact partners.