Two leaders resigning from United Way of Douglas County

United Way of Douglas County logo

The United Way of Douglas County will see a change in leadership starting at the end of the year, the organization said Friday.

The group’s CEO, Erika Dvorske, said she and the organization’s vice president of resource development, Colleen Gregoire, will be resigning their positions.

Dvorske said she has a job lined up for when she leaves the organization, but couldn’t give additional details because the move was not yet finalized. She will step down at the end of January, which should give the board of directors enough time to plan a course of action, she said.

Board chairwoman Cindy Johnson said Gregoire will step down at the end of December.

Johnson spoke highly of both Dvorske and Gregoire, calling them both “passionate” about the United Way.

Dvorske said she remains enthusiastic about the organization and its mission. Her decision to resign came from a desire to move on to a new opportunity, she said.

The resignation announcements came as a surprise to the board, Johnson said. She believes it was coincidence that Dvorske and Gregoire said they would step down at the same time.

Recently the United Way has had a bit of trouble meeting fundraising goals. In 2015, the group fell $150,000 short of its $1.8 million goal. The year before, it fell $100,000 short of the same goal.

Both Dvorske and Johnson said the resignation announcements were unrelated to any fundraising shortfalls.

“It’s a challenging climate. We’ve certainly put forth lots of effort and lots of time into it,” Dvorske said. “But we’re really optimistic about this year. Things are looking good. We’ve got some good energy.”

The person who held the CEO position before Dvorske stayed with the United Way for about a decade, she said. This will be Dvorske’s ninth year, making it a “good time” to move on to something new.

Johnson said the board would be searching for replacements who can understand the needs of the community. Their open position posting will seek national candidates, she said.