United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey recently welcomed Kelly Woodland to the team as Managing Director, Leadership Equity.

Learn a bit more about Kelly and his journey to United Way:

What drew you to United Way’s mission?  

I think poverty alleviation must involve the input of all people and I’m committed to ensuring that everyone committed to this challenge has access to make the contributions to impact this issue.

How did you get engaged in the work to advance racial equity in the nonprofit sector? 

At every point and within every organization I’ve worked, I’ve always advocated for racial equity and access to opportunity for Black and Brown people. I often say that I was doing DEI not only before it was created, but before it became trendy.

What’s something that you wish more people knew in regards to your work?

Fundamentally, racial equity in the nonprofit sector is simply good business. It’s not enough to say we are working to serve “marginalized” communities if we don’t involve these folks in the creation and delivery of solutions and strategies.  

Do you have a favorite book or inspirational quote that resonates with you?

Not really. However, I have always tried to live by one simple statement -  Do the right thing for the right reason.

Do you have a hidden talent?  

No. However, I have been incredibly fortunate to have fostered solid connections with our region’s most gifted and talented nonprofit professionals. In that case, my hidden talent is that I have managed to be in the right place with the right people at the right time.