Brian Gallagher is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of United Way Worldwide.

Early life and education

Gallagher was born in Chicago, Illinois. He was raised in Hobart, Indiana, where he was one of six children. His father was a plumber and his mother was a homemaker who reupholstered chairs for extra income. In 1981, he graduated from

Ball State University Ball State University (Ball State, State or BSU) is a public university, public research university in Muncie, Indiana. It has two satellite facilities in Fishers, Indiana, Fishers and Indianapolis. On July 25, 1917, the Ball brothers, indust ...

with a degree in

social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...

and started with the United Way as a management trainee. In 1992, he received his MBA from Emory University, and in 2003 Ball State University awarded Gallagher an honorary Doctor of Humanities.

Career

After working for United Way for 21 years (with the last five at the United Way in

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

), Gallagher was appointed to be the President and CEO of the United Way of America in 2002. He held this position he held until 2009 when United Way of America and United Way International joined to form United Way Worldwide. In January 2017, he was appointed by then- Governor of Indiana

Mike Pence Michael Richard Pence (born June 7, 1959) is an American politician who served as the 48th vice president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 under President Donald Trump. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 50th ...

as a trustee of his alma mater

for a term lasting until December 31, 2020. In March 2021, Gallagher resigned from United Way following allegations that United Way Worldwide retaliated against employees for reporting sexual harassment. Three female employees had filed complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging misconduct and retaliation after they filed their complaints. One of the woman alleged Gallagher fired her as retaliation for reporting sexual harassment by another unnamed executive. A United Way Worldwide commissioned investigation found no “actionable harassment, discrimination, or retaliation” at the organization but the women who filed the complaints called those findings into question. Gallagher said of the allegations: “there is no evidence of a toxic or hostile culture. Is there room for improvement? Absolutely, just like almost any other workplace.”

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gallagher, Brian Living people Year of birth missing (living people) American nonprofit executives United Ways people People from Hobart, Indiana Ball State University alumni Emory University alumni