For the United Way of King County (UWKC), it’s a homecoming for Blair Hamilton Taylor. This time around, he’s not coming on as a Board of Directors member or chair, but as President and CEO of the 105-year-old nonprofit organization, which is one of the nation’s largest United Way chapters.

UWKC’s Board of Directors announced today that Taylor will formally step into his new role as President and CEO on July 14. A nationally recognized leader with executive experience spanning the private, public, and nonprofit sectors, Taylor will be the third permanent CEO of UWKC since 2000. He served on the UWKC Board of Directors from 2016-2020, including as Board chair from 2016-2017.

Taylor has served in past leadership roles at Starbucks Coffee Company, Accenture, and PriceWaterhouseCoopers, as well as at prominent nonprofit organizations such as My Brother’s Keeper Alliance and the Los Angeles Urban League.

“This is a truly exciting moment. It is an honor and privilege to join the United Way of King County at this very important time for the organization and the region,” Taylor said. “The opportunity to work with the outstanding team and board of an organization I’ve supported and admired for many years is a dream come true.” 

A familiar face in the Seattle business and nonprofit community, Taylor presently chairs the Board of the Seattle Urban League and serves on the Advisory Board of the Neurosciences Institute (NSI) at the University of Washington. He has the unique skill set to expand collaboration among corporate, public, and nonprofit entities.

“Blair brings an exceptional breadth of leadership experience across sectors, along with a deep and unwavering commitment to advancing equity and opportunity in our communities. His track record of driving transformative impact makes him uniquely suited to lead United Way of King County into its next chapter,” said Board chair Lisa Chin.

Chin added: “Over the course of his distinguished career, Blair has demonstrated the power of cross-sector collaboration to create lasting change. His visionary leadership and proven ability to align organizations around a shared purpose will be invaluable as United Way of King County continues to expand its impact across the region.”

Under Taylor’s corporate social responsibility leadership at Starbucks from 2012-2016, the company launched some of the most impactful community and hiring programs in its history, including the Starbucks College Achievement Plan, which offers 100% upfront tuition coverage for eligible employees to earn a bachelor’s degree online through Arizona State University, and the Veterans Hiring Initiative, dedicated to hiring military veterans and active-duty spouses.

Taylor has also served in academic roles at the UCLA Anderson School of Management and, most recently, at Arizona State University, where he’s been an Executive in Residence and Adjunct Professor of Cross-Sector Collaboration.

“The United Way has a history of uniting people and bridging gaps to drive meaningful, lasting community change at ground level,” Taylor said. “It is an organization whose mission of bringing together communities is more important now than ever before. I’m fully committed to working alongside our partners and communities to break down barriers and deliver cross-sector solutions that uplift our region. Together we can and will build a future where our region in its entirety thrives.”

About United Way of King County

United Way of King County (UWKC) is a 501(c)(3) organization based in Seattle that works side by side with partners to build an equitable future. UWKC’s programming and strategic focus is to support the well-being of King County residents—investing in access to financial resources, quality education, enough to eat, and a safe place to call home—while also working to transform inequitable systems.

Staffers raise funds from individuals, foundations, companies, and government entities; lend expertise and administrative resources to a variety of partnerships; run a volunteering program; advocate at all levels of government; and provide direct services such as free tax preparation, summer meals, and financial support for low-income community college students. UWKC pursues its mission with a racial justice lens and is committed to racial equity in both its external mission and internal culture. To learn more, visit www.uwkc.org.