Agency taps Holder as new campaign chairman

MIDDLETOWN — As we get ready for our 2021-22 Middlesex United Way campaign, I am pleased to announce that we have selected William Holder to serve as the role of campaign chairman.

Holder’s involvement with Middlesex United Way is extensive. He has served on the Board of Directors since 2005, as board chairman, as well as chairing many committees. He has served on the Marketing Advisory Council since 2002, chairing the council for several years. He has also served on the Development Council and chaired the Major Gifts Team, Leadership Circle Team, and Vision Committee.

In 2014, Holder was awarded the Community Service Award, which honors volunteer service to the Middlesex United Way, considering length and continuity of service. It is the highest and most prestigious honor for a United Way volunteer.

A longtime supporter of the United Way and Middlesex County nonprofits, Holder is already hard at work sharing the United Way mission and the importance of investing in the future of Middlesex County.

Holder’s extensive background in communications will help strengthen our connections with our corporate campaigns, and create new and innovative ways to market ourselves.

Holder is retired from Wesleyan University, where he was the director of university communications and the editor of Wesleyan Magazine.

Holder’s previous professional experience also includes positions at Cornell University, the Middletown Press, and the American Chemical Society in Washington, D.C.

Holder will officially accept the role at our campaign kickoff and celebration Sept. 30. The event will be held virtually beginning at 9 a.m., and feature remarks from our board chairman, incoming campaign chairperson, and our outgoing chairman. We will also preview our campaign video, as well as hear from a Middlesex United Way partner.

We will also be honoring our outgoing campaign chair Michael Conner. During his time as chairman, Conner successfully raised money to invest in our racial equity and inclusion work, as well as our COVID-19 relief efforts. He led our campaign throughout the pandemic, and was vital in helping United Way adapt to new ways to run our campaigns.

This year’s kickoff will honor companies, organizations, nonprofits, and municipalities that support the Middlesex United Way campaign.

Each year during the annual campaign, Middlesex United Way staff and volunteers work hard to raise donations. These are raised by campaigning to large and small businesses that invite and encourage their employees to give back to their community. Through these workplace campaigns, thousands of individuals have helped create lasting change in Middlesex County.

We are incredibly excited to see the amazing campaign Bill Holder will run this year.

If you would like to register for the campaign kickoff, please email Maria Wood at maria.wood @middlesexunitedway.org or call 860-346-8695. To learn more about the campaign or donate, please contact Manny Martinez at manny.martinez @middlesexunitedway.org