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UWTC Welcomes New Board Chair

Wednesday, October 9, 2024

New Board Members Also Announced

FORT WORTH, Texas (Oct. 9, 2024) — United Way of Tarrant County (UWTC) announced today Steve Bobb as chair of its board of directors, Barbara Williams as vice chair, and the addition of six new board members. 

Bobb has served on UWTC’s board of directors for the last five years. During the 2023-24 year, he was named vice board chair and board liaison for the Second Century Campaign.

“I’m honored to chair a board of community leaders who understand the impact this organization has on our community,” said Bobb. “I look forward to working closely with UWTC leadership as we address the needs of Tarrant County and drive meaningful change.”

The UWTC board of directors supports the organization through mission-based leadership. This year’s board brings together individuals with broad professional diversity from across Tarrant County dedicated to strengthening United Way and its impact in the community. Their expertise spans across diverse sectors, including legal and business operations, aviation, real estate and financial services.

Bobb, who retired in August 2024 as executive vice president and chief marketing officer at BNSF Railway, brings a wealth of experience in leadership, sales, marketing and economic development. Starting his career with Burlington Northern in 1987, he held key leadership positions in commercial and operating roles.

Additionally, Barbara Williams, Managing Partner, Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, has a new role on the board as vice chair. She has been a member of the UWTC board for four years.

Williams has decades of experience overseeing the Fort Worth office of Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson and chairs the firm’s client relations subcommittee. She joined the firm in 1998. Williams has served as city attorney for Crowley and interim city attorney for White Settlement. She is a Women Steering Business board member and has served on the boards of Girls Inc. of Tarrant County, the Women’s Policy Forum and Fort Worth SPARC. Additionally, she has served on the board of SafeHaven and the board of trustees of Albany ISD and has worked as a judge for Arlington Teen Court.

The following board members were elected to their first year of service:

Arely Cure, Director of Business Operations, IMS Legal Strategies  

As an experienced leader who develops standards of excellence for consulting support teams, Cure oversees the profitability and long-term growth and partners on enterprise strategic initiatives, all to provide a high-caliber client experience. Cure gained extensive experience leading people and departments while serving as practice manager at the global law firm Baker Botts and during her prior role as a senior legal project analyst at the Am Law 20 firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. She serves on the Unity Council for the City of Arlington. After joining the United Way Arlington Steering Committee in July 2021, she now serves as chair, guiding the committee’s impactful work.

John Dandurand, Executive Vice President of Human Resources, Bell 

In this role at Bell, Dandurand leads a global HR and internal communications team focused on empowering employees to excel and align with Bell’s values. Prior to Bell, John served as vice president and general manager of McCauley Propeller Systems and held various leadership roles at Textron Aviation, including vice president of European Service Centers. Having worked within the Textron family of businesses for 25 years, he has an extensive background in HR.

Chris McLaughlin, Executive Vice President of Operations, DFW Airport 

Since joining DFW Airport in June 2021, McLaughlin has driven sustainability initiatives and ensured environmental compliance while leading operations, public safety and environmental affairs. With more than 20 years of experience in the public and private sectors, McLaughlin previously served as executive vice president and COO at Denver International Airport, where he managed operations, development and public safety.

Jeffrey A. Paul, Managing Director, Deloitte Services

Paul leverages over 40 years of experience in strategic relationship management, business development and product commercialization in banking and transactional payments at Deloitte Services. He collaborates with technology and industry leaders to develop new strategies and deliver services to his clients. Before joining Deloitte, Paul was vice president of marketing and business development at Equifax Consumer Services and held roles at MasterCard International and other financial organizations. Paul serves on the board of directors for the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Tarrant County and is a member of the Charles Schwab Challenge.

Richard T. Roby, III, President, RSH Concessions, LLC

Roby leads his family-owned business at DFW Airport, which has a joint venture partnership with TGI Fridays, managing five locations that have served customers for over 25 years, generating gross revenues of $48 million annually. Roby is also president of 817 International, specializing in vacation real estate in Mexico and Central America. He serves on several boards, including the Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce, Visit Fort Worth, the Fort Worth Promotion & Development Fund, Fort Worth Sister Cities, The Fort Worth Forum and Texas Wesleyan University.

Lauren Team, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Security State Bank & Trust

In her role at Security State Bank & Trust, Team uses her expertise to connect with and meet the needs of communities across the Hill Country, Central Texas and North Texas. She has now stepped into the important role of chair for United Way of Tarrant County’s Women United committee after serving on the committee for four years. Team is also an active member of the Junior League of Fort Worth and a volunteer with the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo. 

Members continuing their board service for a second three-year term include:

  • Kellie Richter, EVP, Chief Marketing & Client Experience Officer, First Command Financial Services, Inc.
  • Corey Wilson, Chief Operating Officer, Texas Health Harris Methodist Fort Worth
  • Kenneth Washington, Engineer II, Atmos Energy Corporation Mid-Tex Division
  • Bal Joshi, Senior Vice President, Commercial Banking, Hancock Whitney

For the complete list of board members, visit unitedwaytarrant.org/about/leadership.

About United Way of Tarrant County

United Way of Tarrant County 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.