The United Way of Northeast Florida board of trustees announced this morning it has selected Michelle Braun as the organization’s president and CEO, effective July 1.
She will succeed longtime president Connie Hodges, who will retire at the end of the year.
Braun was named the local chapter’s chief operating officer last summer and previously served in senior-level position at Wells Fargo, Wachovia and Bank of America.
Board Chair George Scanlan said in a news release that “Michelle was the most outstanding” of the more than 170 applicants.
Braun earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s degree in nonprofit management from The Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western University.
She came to Northeast Florida in 1999 and led a record-setting campaign as vice president of resource development at the United Way, the news release said, and remained engaged by serving as a board member and RealSense chair.
“I look forward to serving our community and building on the great work of United Way of Northeast Florida,” Braun said in the release.
Hodges will transition responsibilities to Braun during the next few weeks and after July 1 will become executive of philanthropic outreach until she retires at the end of December. In that role, she will accomplish “key strategic goals” and serve as an adviser.
The local chapter of the nonprofit provides leadership, resources and focus to create improvements in education, income and health in the community.