One of the longest-serving chief executives at one of the largest United Way affiliates in the country will step down.
United Way King County (UWKC) President and CEO Jon Fine announced his retirement late Wednesday after 18 years leading the Seattle, Wash.-based affiliate.
Fine will retire after transitioning his responsibilities to a successor, to be identified by the Board of Directors through a local and nationwide search. The search committee will be chaired by board member Carol Nelson, a Key Bank Pacific Region executive and market president.
UWKC is among the largest affiliates in the country, often ranking within the top 10 for revenue and contributions. The affiliate reported contributions of more than $60 million for the 2017 campaign, ranking seventh among more than 1,000 affiliates nationwide.
“The hallmark of Jon’s tenure has been a laser focus on accountability and results,” United Way Board Chair Brian McAndrews, former Pandora and aQuantive CEO and digital media veteran, said in a press release announcing Fine’s retirement.
Fine came to United Way in 2000 after a successful career in finance. He is credited for “transforming a broad-based organization which funded a wide range of social and human service issues into a metrics-driven funder focused on creating a community where people have homes, students graduate and families are financially stable.”
United Way last year launched a new homelessness prevention program, Home Base, in partnership with the Seattle Mariners and King County Bar Association. It aims to reduce the number of people who lose their homes due to eviction — a leading cause of homelessness. Its Parent-Child Home Program serves more than 1,300 families annually, boosting third-grade readiness scores. The Reconnecting Youth program helps youth who have left school to earn a high school credential.
During Fine’s tenure, UWKC also launched its Emerging Leaders group, including more than 9,000 professionals in their 20s and 30s who invest their time and money to make a difference while learning about social issues in the community through events and volunteering. Its United Way Champions group includes people who donate at least $10,000 annually and boasts nearly 300 members.
“I will forever treasure the opportunity I have had to partner with such outstanding volunteers, donors, staff, agencies and businesses to do such interesting and meaningful work,” Fine said via a press release.
In 2009, Fine scaled Mt. Rainier along with board member Molly Nordstrom and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to raise money in Climb for the Community. He’s also known to bike to the United Way offices.
As president and CEO, Fine earned total compensation of $367,070, including base compensation of $336,812, according to the organization’s most recent Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 990, for the year ending June 2017.
