July 30, 2015
On behalf of the Board of Directors of Upic Solutions (Upic), Karen Mathison, Board Chair and President & CEO of United Way of Greater Toledo has announced the appointment of Mr. Josh R. “J.R.” Howard III, MCSE to the position of Chief Executive Officer effective August 17, 2015
J.R. has served as Upic’s Director of CRM Strategic Services since 2011 and has been instrumental in leading several key strategic initiatives within the organization during his tenure. J.R. has multiple Microsoft and other technical certifications and earned his Bachelor of Business Administration / Information Systems degree from the University of Cincinnati. His work experience prior to Upic includes Director of Technology, Business Analyst, and IT Project Leader positions in private industry within the Cincinnati area.
The CEO search process was led by Janet E. Jackson, past Upic Board Chair and President & CEO of United Way of Central Ohio. Recruitment began in May after current and founding CEO, Winston Faircloth, announced his plans to step down to start a consulting/technology practice. The search committee considered a strong pool of candidates from across the country and interviewed top finalists before coming to the decision that J.R. provided the best blend of leadership, technical expertise, understanding of the United Way business model and strategic vision for Upic.
In communicating the Board’s decision this week, Karen Mathison praised Winston Faircloth’s past service and expressed her enthusiasm for J.R.’s appointment. “We want to thank Winston for his leadership and tremendous achievements in the founding and growth of Upic over the past 15 years. We are thrilled to have J.R. assuming the CEO role as we move into a time of much innovation and opportunity within the United Way network. We are confident he brings the background, skills and leadership to work with the Board as we continue to build a successful future for Upic to effectively serve our United Way members.”
Upic was founded in March 2000 and is the nation’s first and largest technology organization exclusively devoted to serving United Ways. Upic currently serves member organizations across the country, representing over 20% of all United Way employees in the United States. Upic provides private cloud hosting of key United Way applications, a Member Services help desk and online giving platforms which United Ways use to raise more than $60 million each fall campaign.
Sincerely,
Karen R. Mathison, CFRE
Upic Solutions, Board chair