Fort Myers United Way leader exits, organization names interim CEO

The United Way of Lee, Hendry, and Glades, based in Fort Myers, has named Hannah Pelle, an executive with the nonprofit for more than a decade, interim president and CEO. 

Pelle, who had most recently been COO, replaces CEO Jeannine Joy, who had been with the organization since 1995. “We are deeply grateful for Jeannine’s 31 incredible years of dedicated leadership," United Way of Lee, Hendry, and Glades board vice chair Dan O’Berski says in the release. "Her impact has left a lasting mark on this organization, and we wish her continued success in her next chapter."

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Pelle joined United Way in 2012 as director of allocations and community planning and “was instrumental in the development of United Way’s Community Partnership Schools program,” according to a statement. She also championed efforts to support the region’s recovery following Hurricane Ian, including developing a partnership that helped restore over 700 mattresses and furniture to individuals and families who lost their belongings or homes in the storm, the release adds. 

The organization’s board of directors, according to the statement, “will lead a thoughtful and strategic process to identify the organization’s next permanent president and CEO.”

United Way of Lee, Hendry, and Glades has raised and distributed more than $272 million since its establishment in 1957. 

While the organizations are separate, this is the second CEO transition at a United Way in the region in recent days. On April 28, the United Way Suncoast, based in Tampa and covering Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota and DeSoto counties, named Tampa Bay Buccaneers executive Kourtney Sanchez its new CEO.