North Texas nonprofit executive known for strategic vision and community impact
FORT WORTH, Texas (December 9, 2024) — United Way of Tarrant County’s board of directors is pleased to announce the selection of Adam Powell as UWTC’s new president and CEO effective January 13, 2025. Powell, a nonprofit executive with more than 20 years of experience, is known for his strategic vision and ability to optimize resources to achieve the core missions of the organizations he serves. He succeeds Leah M. King, who resigned her position in October.
“Adam’s nonprofit experience and results demonstrate his focus on positive community impact,” said Steve Bobb, UTWC board chair. “I, along with the rest of the board, am excited about his ability to connect with stakeholders across Tarrant County and his record of securing investments to help our organization continue to innovate, thrive and grow.”
Powell comes to UWTC from his role as president and CEO of Communities in Schools of the Dallas Region, where he doubled the organizational impact over five years and nearly tripled its revenue. Prior to Communities in Schools, Powell served as vice president of site operations for College Possible, a national college access and success organization. In that role, he was responsible for fundraising, program delivery, staff management and development, and community relations at sites in seven different cities across the U.S. He has extensive experience in the education nonprofit space in North Texas, working previously in a variety of roles for Education is Freedom, including as its COO. He started his Texas-based nonprofit career as a resident assistant in Arlington’s Life Shelter in 2007, when he first arrived in the DFW area.
“I am honored to accept the president and CEO position at United Way of Tarrant County, an organization with a long history of impact in the community,” said Powell. “Returning to Tarrant County, where I began my career in nonprofit service in Texas, makes this transition even more meaningful to me. I look forward to working collaboratively with UWTC’s stakeholders and talented staff.”
Along with his professional responsibilities, Powell has been an active member of several community organizations, including the Southern Dallas P-16 Council, the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce’s Education Committee and the National College Access Network.
He recently was inducted into the Forbes Nonprofit Council, an honor set aside for top nonprofit executives around the country. He was named a D Magazine/D CEO Leadership Excellence finalist in 2024 and 2023, honored as a Dallas Business Journal 40 under 40 recipient in 2021, and selected to Dallas Mayor Mike Rawling’s Star Council in 2015.
Powell holds a B.S. degree in mass communications from Jackson State University, an M.S. in social work from University of Texas in Arlington and is expected to graduate with his Ed.D. in leadership and innovation from Purdue University in December 2025.
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About United Way of Tarrant County
United Way of Tarrant County (UWTC) brings people together to build strong communities where everyone thrives. As a nonprofit leader, we help communities tackle tough challenges and work with private, public, and nonprofit partners to boost education, financial stability and health resources, and respond in times of crisis. We help nearly 400,000 people every year through our resources. In 2022, we celebrated our 100th anniversary and launched our GET UNITED campaign to drive community impact for another century in Tarrant County.
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Contact
United Way of Tarrant County
817-258-8025