Meet Our New Staff
We are excited to announce that three new employees started in January!
Kathy Smith is the new Vice President of Douglas County Initiatives. A Topeka transplant, Kathy now lives in Lawrence and is a third-generation Kansan. She has experience with nonprofit grantmaking, event planning, organizational convening, donor development and relationship building.
Kathy is a member of our Executive Team and will oversee community investments in Douglas County, including grant-making, building relationships with agency partners, and strategic planning for the future of impact throughout the community. Her office is located in UWKV’s new Douglas County location, 1127 Iowa St. in Lawrence, and you can connect with her by email at ksmith@uwkawvalley.org.
You can see our United Way Wednesday interview with Kathy on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/UWKawValley/videos/665839465323831.
TJ McDonald is our new Director of Workplace Campaigns. TJ joins UWKV with years of experience in the sales and insurance industry. He has built great connections in the Topeka corporate world and enjoys helping businesses leverage their gifts to make the biggest impact in the community.
TJ will work with businesses throughout Shawnee and Jackson County to execute their workplace campaigns and to develop year-round corporate partnerships with United Way of Kaw Valley. He will also work with the Young Leaders Society and our Campaign Ambassadors. He will be based in our Topeka office and can be reached by email at tmcdonald@uwkawvalley.org.
Nic Simons is our new Director of Major Gifts & Legacy Giving. Nic has spent his career working in education, youth sports, and grant development. Each of his roles has afforded him the opportunity to work with donors and individuals across all the counties served by United Way of Kaw Valley.
Nic will work with donors who make gifts outside the workplace campaign, specifically leadership ($1,000 or more per year) and Tocqueville-level donors ($10,000 or more per year). This includes individuals making gifts of stock, IRA charitable rollovers, irrevocable trusts, and legacy gifts. He will also work with our Women United and Always United (retirees) donor affinity groups. You can reach out to him at nsimons@uwkawvalley.org