Press release:
United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes has appointed Lawana Jones as its new Chief Operating Officer. Jones brings over 20 years of experience in organizational management and 16 years of nonprofit leadership to the role. Jones will oversee multiple internal departments, projects, and processes, including resource expansion, marketing, leadership development programs, community engagement, data warehouse creation, and business analytics.
“We are thrilled to have such a talented and visionary seasoned executive join United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes leadership team,” remarked Jaime Saunders, President and CEO of United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes. “Lawana brings a unique combination of corporate leadership and nonprofit insights along with continuous improvement and deep IT knowledge. She is eager to use her talents and leadership skills to support our six-county region as we evolve to meet the local needs of our community now and into the future.”
“I am excited for the bright future of United Way and the organization’s transformation as we now support our six-county region. We are working hard to ensure that we continue to show up and support our community every single day and in a more transformative way,” added Jones.
Jones recently worked at L3Harris as the Principal, Continuous Improvement Lead, and Senior Project Manager. Before that, she served as the Project Director for Information Security Services at Xerox.
Jones also serves as President and CEO of The Autism Council of Rochester, which she established in 2005. She is active in community service, serving on several nonprofit boards and committees.
Jones is a Certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, Scrum Master, and Agile Project Manager. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Nazareth College of Rochester, an MBA Certificate from the University of Rochester, and is currently earning a Ph.D. in Transformational Leadership from Bakke Graduate University.
Jones has received the NY Senate District Women of Distinction Award, the Community Service Award from the Rochester Business Journal, and the 40 under 40 Community Award from the Rochester Business Alliance.
Additionally, Jones is a 2001 graduate of United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes’ African American Leadership Development Program and a 2007 graduate of Leadership Rochester. Jones assumed her role as Chief Operating Officer Thursday, March 31.
