United Way COO brings leadership, passion, community commitment to new role

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Lawana Jones was about two weeks into retirement when she was approached about a job opportunity that was too good to pass up.

Jones received a call from Jaime Saunders, president and CEO of the United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes, whom she had met at a community event some eight years prior.

The meeting left an impression on Saunders who told Jones she was moved by her passion for, and commitment to, the community.

Saunders then told her about the opening at the agency and how Jones would be a good fit.

Although she wasn’t looking for a new job, it didn’t take much to convince Jones that Saunders was right.

“I believe in the work of this agency and am happy to be a part of it,” she said.

Jones became United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes’ chief operating officer March 29.

She brings over 20 years of experience in organizational management and 16 years of nonprofit leadership to the job.

In her role, Jones oversees multiple internal departments, projects and processes, including resource expansion, marketing, leadership development programs, community engagement, data warehouse creation and business analytics.

Jones described the United Way as a “boots on the ground” organization with leaders and employees who show up and support the community in a transformative way.

Last July, six United Ways officially announced their merger, serving the counties of Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Wayne and Wyoming.

The organization, which altogether raises and distributes more than $30 million annually, now encompasses 5,144 square miles of rural, suburban and urban neighborhoods and brings together more than 50,000 donors, 1,300 workplaces, 1,000 nonprofit partners and thousands of volunteers to address the region’s biggest human services challenges.

Saunders called Jones talented and visionary — a seasoned executive who can help move the agency forward.

“Lawana brings a unique combination of corporate leadership and nonprofit insights along with continuous improvement and deep IT knowledge,” Saunders said. “She is eager to use her talents and leadership skills to support our six-county region as we evolve to meet the local needs of our community now and into the future.”

Jones most recently worked at L3Harris as the principal, continuous improvement lead and senior project manager. Before that, she served as the project director for Information Security Services at Xerox.

She also serves as president and CEO of The Autism Council of Rochester, which she established in 2005.

The volunteer-run not-for-profit agency was created to promote diversity and inclusion in all aspects of the community for those with autism and other special needs, including increasing employment and educational opportunities.

Jones believes her experience in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors will be beneficial in her new role.

“It all came together in this role,” Jones said. “It’s the perfect job for me.”

For example, she can use her IT experience to help lead the organization’s transition to serving a six-county region. The effort will help eliminate the duplication of resources and create a data warehouse of information from donor contacts to services and resources for the entire geographic area the organization serves.

“Having common data standards is key,” she said.

As the leader of a volunteer organization, Jones knows first-hand about the importance of fundraising for nonprofits and having community connections.

“Relationships are extremely important in this community,” she said.

Jones is no stranger to the Rochester community and has received numerous accolades for her accomplishments.

She has received the NY Senate District Women of Distinction Award, the Community Service Award from the Rochester Business Journal and the 40 under 40 Community Award from the Rochester Business Alliance.

A Rochester native, Jones has a bachelor’s degree in business from Nazareth College and an MBA certificate from the University of Rochester.

She is currently working toward earning a Ph.D. in transformational leadership from Bakke Graduate University, a private online graduate school headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

Additionally, Jones is a 2001 graduate of United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes’ African American Leadership Development Program and a 2007 graduate of Leadership Rochester.

She is planning to use her transformational leadership knowledge when it comes to leadership development at the United Way, noting the topic is something that can not only make the agency stronger, but the region, as well.

Jones added that the United Way leaders are already focused on finding ways to help the community-at-large.

“Every decision here looks at what’s best for the community,” she said.

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