Columbia, SC – The Board of Directors of United Way Association of South Carolina (UWASC) officially appointed Kelly Callahan Cruise as President and CEO at their June 2016 meeting. Cruise has served as the interim leader of the organization since March after the retirement of Timothy Ervolina.
Ann Robinson, Senior Vice President at Home Trust Bank in Greenville and UWASC Board Chair, stated, “The board is excited about the future of the organization under Kelly’s leadership.” Cruise joined UWASC in 2010 as Director of Volunteer SC, served as Director of the SC 2-1-1 Contact Center, and for the past two years, served as Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer.
Cruise has led UWASC through multiple expansions of the SC 2-1-1 Contact Center, making it one of the largest non-profit contact centers in the United States, served as a former Commissioner for the SC Commission on National and Community Service, and serves on multiple oversight and advisory boards across the state. Educated at East Carolina University, Cruise is a sought-after speaker on women in leadership, non-profit and volunteer administration, and change management.
“Our goal at United Way is to bring communities together to solve local community problems. Where people set aside their differences and embrace their humanity to move as one. The work is more important than ever now and I look forward to working with our partners, stakeholders and friends to continue to improve the lives of SC citizens.” Cruise said. “Look across SC, in every community that has a United Way, you will find a community that has someone in their corner, fighting to make life better for their neighbors.”