Yesterday, it was announced that Southwestern alumna Amanda McMillian ’95 has been named the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the United Way of Greater Houston, effective May 1, 2020. In an email sent to members and supporters, Armando Perez, chair of the nonprofit organization’s board of trustees, describes McMillian as “a collaborative, caring, and forward-thinking leader.”

McMillian’s distinguished career has evidenced Perez’s words: since graduating from Southwestern, she has earned her joint master’s in political science and juris doctorate at Duke University; specialized in corporate and securities law at international firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Felt, LLP; and spent 15 years at Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, most recently serving as executive vice president and general counsel for the oil and natural-gas company. Her impressive dossier of leadership positions also includes a number of nonprofit organizations: she previously served as a president and a member of the board of directors of the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center as well as a member of the advisory board of the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra.

Southwestern community members will recognize McMillian for her service as a member of the university’s Board of Trustees, where she serves as vice chair of the Investment Committee, and as a past president of SU’s Board of Visitors. During the 2019–2020 academic year, she also led the Presidential Search Advisory Committee, which was instrumental in the appointment of Southwestern’s 16th president, Laura E. Skandera Trombley.

As CEO and president, McMillian will guide the United Way of Greater Houston’s new strategic direction, Second Century Vision, which strengthens the organization’s focus on providing opportunities for the region’s most vulnerable families and individuals, including low-income workers and those who fall below the poverty level. Serving Fort Bend, Harris, Montgomery, and Waller counties for nearly 100 years, the nonprofit has been known for marshaling resources through coordinated fundraising campaigns to improve the physical and behavioral health, education, financial stability, and self-sufficiency of individuals and communities in the Houston area.

You can watch the United Way’s announcement, including McMillian’s remarks, here.

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