Centre County United Way director resigns, will become leader of another local nonprofit

Paula Williams will be leaving her role as executive director of Centre County United Way this month to lead one of its partner agencies, Centre Volunteers in Medicine, according to a CCUW press release.

Williams, a Penn State alumna, joined CCUW as its director 15 months ago, in February 2023. She succeeded former director Leanne Lenz, who stepped down in October 2022 after about a year in the role.

When announcing her resignation in a Monday press release from CCUW, Williams said the past year had been an amazing experience and she looked forward to continuing to work alongside CCUW in her new role.

“I have been able to see first-hand how important United Way is to our community, and I value the work being done by the staff and the support of donors,” she said.

In her time as CCUW director, Williams led the charge on achieving its mission of improving the lives of Centre County residents, taking part in annual fundraisers like Over the Edge at Beaver Stadium and the annual Day of Caring.

The nonprofit works alongside 25 national and countywide organizations, including Centre Volunteers in Medicine (CVIM), which provides free medical care, assistance and medication to uninsured Centre County residents.

Williams, whose resignation from CCUW is effective June 21, will take over as CVIM’s executive director July 15, filling a vacancy that opened up when former director Cheryl White retired in December. White had led the clinic for 13 years, part of which included a $10 million capital campaign for a new facility that opened last year.

Prior to her time at CCUW, Williams lived in New Mexico and held leadership roles with local and statewide chapters of nonprofits Habitat for Humanity, Komen for the Cure and Ronald McDonald House Charities. She also worked as an administrator at Albuquerque Academy, a private middle and high school.

The executive team will share more information about the next phase of CCUW leadership as it becomes available, according to the release.