Gilmore, the local chapter's president since 2005, is leaving to become an executive of a local prescription discount card company.
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Susan Gilmore, United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley president, delivers collected personal items last year to the ProJeCt of Easton's food bank and assistance program.
United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley President Susan Gilmore is leaving to serve as an executive of a local prescription discount card company.
Gilmore, the United Way’s president since 2005, said she’s leaving the organization after 30 years in human services for what she’s calling “act three” of her life.
She’ll be the executive director of community engagement for FamilyWize, an Upper Saucon Township-based company that provides prescription discount cards to people with no or insufficient insurance. The company partners with 1,000 United Way organizations across the country to distribute the cards to people in need.
“I love community engagement. That’s what I’ve done for the last 30 years,” said Gilmore, 63, of Easton. “It’s a dream job.”
Gilmore, who came to the Lehigh Valley after serving with the nonprofit’s international organization, led the local chapter through a challenging time. After raising a record-setting $11.2 million in 2006, the organization’s annual campaign dropped to $9.3 million during the height of the economic recession.
The chapter’s annual campaign has again reached $10 million and Gilmore said she now feels comfortable leaving the organization.
“I think our United Way is in really great shape,” she said. “We made it through the economic downturn in a healthy financial situation.”
Gilmore oversaw a major change at the organization in 2008, when it switched to performance-based distribution. The change allowed the chapter to focus on specific goals, such as assisting low-income senior citizens and assuring students graduate from high school, she said.
The change reduced the number of organizations that received funding from the United Way but also opened the funding to organizations that had never before received it. Some organizations, including Big Brothers Big Sisters Lehigh Valley and the Boys & Girls Club of Easton, that lost funding in the change, at the time criticized the organization for the switch.
“It went every way. There were the organizations that were the chosen few that were better off, but there were others that struggled with the process,” said Alan Jennings, executive director of Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley, another local social services agency.
Jennings, who had worked with Gilmore recently on providing emergency services to victims of the Allentown gas explosion and Superstorm Sandy, largely had positive things to say about her tenure.
“Susan has presided over the United Way at a challenging time, with the economy collapse and challenges to the workforce giving and trying to make sure every nickel they have is well spent,” he said. “She has been a delight to work with and a new employer will be lucky to get her.”
CACLV, United Way and several other Lehigh Valley service organizations partnered following the Allentown gas explosion in 2011 to raise money for the fire victims. The group re-formed to raise money to help local victims of Superstorm Sandy and Gilmore hopes it will continue on to help local victims of any future disasters.
David Lewis, the United Way’s vice president of resource development, will serve as the chapter’s acting president following Gilmore’s departure April 30. The chapter’s board of directors will begin the search process for a new president shortly, spokeswoman Lenore Mohr said.
FamilyWize has been working with Gilmore since shortly after the company was launched in 2005, CEO Dan Barnes said. Barnes started the company because he recognized a significant community need for prescription drug savings and FamilyWize’s collective buying power brings costs in line with large insurance companies, he said.
The company has a goal of $1 billion in prescription savings by 2015 and is only about halfway to its goal, Barnes said. More than 5 million people have the FamilyWize card, which is available for free on its website, familywize.org.
“Susan’s leadership has been extraordinary for the Lehigh Valley,” Barnes said. “She has experience both nationally and locally. … We’re excited for her to join the team.”