Business Leader First Woman to Be Appointed to Top Board Seat

LOS ANGELES, July 20 /PRNewswire/ -- United Way of Greater Los Angeles today announced that Caroline W. Nahas, managing director of the Southern California region of Korn/Ferry International, has been appointed as the new volunteer chair of the organization's corporate board of directors. The appointment of Nahas marks the first time a woman has served in this important role. Nahas will replace outgoing board chair, Jeffrey M. Johnson, principal, The Yucaipa Companies, LLC, and will help lead the organization's continuing vision to create pathways out of poverty for those in need.

"Our organization has a history of prominent corporate board leadership with strong ties to the business, public and non-profit sectors," said Elise Buik, president and CEO, United Way of Greater Los Angeles. "Throughout her career, Caroline has demonstrated not only her tremendous business leadership but a clear vision of how to make change happen in the community through corporate and individual philanthropy and strategic collaboration. With Caroline's direction, we look forward to engaging the business community to help improve the quality of life for everyone in Los Angeles County."

Nahas has served on United Way's corporate board of directors for 11 years and has chaired both its philanthropic Tocqueville Society and its Nominating Committee. She serves on the Board of Visitors and Executive Committee for the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA, and is a member of the Trusteeship and the International Women's Forum, a worldwide network of preeminent women. She is a board director for DineEquity and Whittier Holdings, an asset management firm. In 2004, she was recognized nationally by her peers, receiving the Association of Executive Search Consultants' Eleanor H. Raynolds Award, based on a career of excellence in executive search, as well as an ongoing dedication to volunteerism and improving the community. She has also received other honors, among them the Angeles Girl Scout Council's Grace Award, YWCA of Los Angeles' Silver Achievement Award and the UCLA Medical Center's Aesculapians Service Award.

"It is an honor to be named chair of the Board, and particularly at a time of such unprecedented need," said Nahas. "United Way of Greater Los Angeles has taken on the fight against poverty so everyone can have access to housing and healthcare, ensure that all students graduate high school and the workforce is empowered through job training and financial education. Given the current economic crisis, I look forward to working with the board, local business leaders and our community to continue to improve the lives of those who are less fortunate across L.A. County."

Nahas and her husband, Richard Nahas, live in Toluca Lake, CA.

Based in Los Angeles, Korn/Ferry is a premier global provider of talent management solutions, with offices in nearly 40 countries around the world. In addition to managing operations for the Firm's Southern California region, Nahas is also a core member of its CEO and Board Services Practice, leveraging her three decades of executive search experience to recruit presidents, CEOs and board members for clients ranging from multinationals to start-ups across a wide variety of industries.

Nahas joins an impressive group of Los Angeles business leaders who have previously served as corporate board chairs including Charles D. Miller, former chairman and CEO of Avery Dennison Corporation, Liam McGee, President of Bank of America Consumer, and Small Business Bank, and John T. Cardis, former Managing Partner, Los Angeles for Deloitte & Touche USA LLP.

United Way of Greater Los Angeles' corporate board of directors currently includes 40 members who represent diverse community leadership from corporate, civic and nonprofit organizations.

About United Way of Greater Los Angeles

United Way of Greater Los Angeles is a nonprofit organization that creates pathways out of poverty by focusing on meeting basic needs, improving educational achievement and increasing financial stability for the most vulnerable in our community. Through its research work, United Way identifies the issues and works in partnership with community leaders and supporters to solve them by funding targeted programs and advocating for change. For more information, visit www.unitedwayla.org.

SOURCE United Way of Greater Los Angeles

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