photo by: Contributed photo

Jeffrey Cornish will be the new president and CEO of the United Way of Douglas County. He begins work on March 9, 2019.

The United Way of Douglas County has hired Jeffrey Cornish as its new president and CEO, according to an agency news release.

Cornish will begin work March 9. As the Journal-World recently reported, he was most recently the executive director of the Shanta Foundation in Durango, Colo., for six months in 2018. The foundation works to develop healthy communities in Myanmar.

The United Way’s news release, however, did not mention Shanta and said instead that his most recent employment was as executive director of the International Rescue Committee’s U.S. programs based in Tucson, Ariz.

When asked by the Journal-World, both Cornish and the local United Way confirmed that his most recent employment was in fact with Shanta.

As CEO, Cornish will be making a salary of $85,000, said Peggy Johnson, chair of the local United Way’s board of directors.

Cornish was selected from a pool of about 60 applicants, Johnson said.

“I’m very excited. He brings a wealth of experience in nonprofits, and he has passion about giving and helping others,” Johnson said.

Cornish said he was eager to begin working with the staff, community partners, volunteers and board members of the United Way of Douglas County, according to the news release.

“I’ve already been impressed by the work the organization and community partners have been able to achieve. I am confident that by intentionally building stronger bridges between the many nonprofit organizations in the area, we can move the needle on solving the issues that matter throughout the county.”

Cornish will be moving from Durango to Lawrence with his wife and three children.

Cornish replaces Jannette Taylor, who was with United Way of Douglas County for a little more than a year.