United Way of Northern Arizona — Mike Kelly Elected UWNA Board Chairman

To fulfill its mission of Improving lives by mobilizing communities, United Way of Northern Arizona has always depended on its volunteer Board of Directors to direct our efforts. While never an easy job, over the last few years it has been even more challenging as the pandemic and other crises created a huge demand for services in the community.

During this time, UWNA had the great fortune to be led by Janet Dean of APS, who became the Board Chair mere days before Covid-19 shut down our region and the rest of the country. Drawing from her experience as the Community Affairs Manager of APS’s Northeast Division, her insights were invaluable as we set up a special response fund and worked to meet unprecedented circumstances.

Over the past year, Stacey Brechler-Knaggs, Grants and Contracts Manager for the City of Flagstaff, has led the board. Her tenure has been marked by UWNA shifting back from Covid-19 response to its pre-pandemic focuses: promoting early childhood education; supporting efforts for positive youth development; and helping provide safety and security to our residents in need.

Our newly elected board chairman, Mike Kelly of W.L. Gore & Associates, is asking the UWNA board to recommit to that work in 2022.

“It’s about passion,” he said recently. “As board members, we have the honor and opportunity to help bridge gaps of service and support in our community.”

Mike was born and raised in Southern California and moved to Flagstaff in 1982, when he began his career at Gore. He’s held a variety of positions in Gore’s Medical Products Division, working in Manufacturing Operations, Quality Assurance, Environmental, Health, and Safety and, for the last several years, as a Regional Plant Leader supporting multiple facilities in Flagstaff.

For more than 12 years, he has been a UWNA volunteer. In addition to being a board member, Mike has also been a Community Investment Team Leader, helping ensure that our donations reach the programs that are having the most impact.

Mike’s a single dad to two adult children, Cassidy and Colton, and enjoys spending as much time as possible with them. He is also a Partner in Mother Road Brewing Company.

We look forward to Mike’s leadership along with the rest of our Board officers:

Together, along with our other volunteer Board members, they will continue to steer our organization as we support more than 40 programs that are improving early childhood development, fostering strong and resilient youth, and providing basic needs to families in Coconino, Navajo and Apache counties.