Orange County United Way Appoints Max Gardner President and CEO

IRVINE, Calif., June 14, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Al De Grassi, Orange County United Way (OCUW) Chairman of the Board, today announced that Max Gardner has been appointed President and CEO. Gardner, who has volunteered as the organization's Interim President and CEO since December 2010, was selected after a six-month long nationwide search conducted by a Board-selected Executive Search Committee that included United Way Worldwide staff, Board members and key volunteers.

On June 7, 2011, Orange County United Way's Board Executive Committee voted unanimously to accept the Search Committee's recommendation to hire Gardner, one of Orange County's most successful businessmen and community advocates. He will oversee OCUW's operations and lead the organization toward advancing its mission of improving lives in Orange County. Gardner will report to the Board of Directors.

De Grassi said, "Max has shown incredible leadership over the last six months, and we couldn't be more pleased to have him join us permanently. His integrity and dedication to our community equally match his business acumen and experience taking organizations to new levels of excellence. I have full confidence that Max will be the outstanding community steward that our donors, partner agencies, and neighbors deserve."

Gardner said, "It is with great excitement that I accept this position with Orange County United Way, an organization with a strong heritage and long-standing ties to the community. It has been an honor to serve as a volunteer for the past five years, and I now look forward to working alongside the talented staff, as well as the many devoted supporters, donors, and outstanding agencies dedicated to improving lives and strengthening our community."

Throughout the search process, OCUW's Executive Search Committee involved key community leaders, organizations, and donors. A dozen listening sessions were held with various stakeholders to gain insight and feedback about the skills, experience, and attributes they believed Orange County United Way's next CEO should have.

"The search process was a true community effort. Our search committee worked diligently to find the best person for the position," stated De Grassi.

With more than 30 years of experience building communities in the real estate industry, Gardner most recently served as President of Irvine Company Apartment Communities, a division of The Irvine Company, an internationally renowned real estate development company whose portfolio includes office, apartment, retail, and resort holdings in Southern and Northern California. At Irvine Company Apartment Communities, Gardner led the company through a period of unprecedented growth and was responsible for the planning, construction, acquisition, leasing, and management for a portfolio of more than 90 apartment communities.

Prior to Irvine Apartment Communities, Gardner served as Chief Operating Officer and Board Member at Bay Apartment Communities. Before that, he held executive level positions at Trammel Crow Residential including President of Residential Services-West and Regional Partner of Finance.

Gardner began his career in the financial industry as a Senior Auditor at Arthur Andersen.

From 2006-2011 Gardner served on the Board of Orange County United Way, most recently as Vice Chairman. From 2006-2008 he was co-chair of OCUW's Tocqueville Society. Gardner supports a number of other nonprofit organizations in the community.

Gardner holds a Master's from Georgia State University's business school and a Bachelor's in political science from Duke University.

ABOUT ORANGE COUNTY UNITED WAY

Orange County United Way is a nonprofit organization that works to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of Orange County to strengthen our community. To do this, we focus on the Building Blocks for a self-sufficient life: Education, Income, and Health, by investing in Orange County children, families, and individuals, helping them meet their most basic human needs—food, shelter, and medical care—while creating pathways to self-sufficient futures through education and training. In short, we help people help themselves. To learn more, or to join our movement, visit www.unitedwayoc.org.

SOURCE Orange County United Way