FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Adam Crumbliss
Phone: 573-443-4523 or 417-483-8103
COLUMBIA – The Heart of Missouri United Way Board of Directors today announced that Talia Jackson has been selected to serve as the new President and Chief Executive Officer beginning on March 3, 2025.
“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Talia to the team,” Mitzi Clayton, Heart of Missouri United Way Board Chair said. “Her impressive track record and strategic leadership make her the perfect person to guide us into the next chapter. We’re confident that her passion for excellence and stakeholder engagement will empower us to achieve even greater success in the years to come.”
Jackson comes to the United Way with more than 20 years of experience leading programs in the telecommunications, engineering and construction industries. Having spent more than a decade serving in various cross-functional development roles at Burns & McDonnell in Kansas City, she most recently served as Business Initiatives Department Manager before retiring from her position in 2024. Prior to joining Burns & McDonnell, Jackson held past roles in ethics and compliance and operations for Embarq and Sprint. She is also a 2017 graduate of the United Way of Greater Kansas City Governance Academy and has served as a member of the Heart of Missouri United Way Board and Advisory Council.
Talia Jackson
“I am honored to serve as the next President and CEO of Heart of Missouri United Way,” Jackson said. “United Way has a long history of addressing complex challenges to positively impact our communities. I look forward to leveraging my corporate experience in operational transformation and leadership to advancing that cause. This is an exciting time for our organization and I am confident that working with the dedicated and passionate HMUW staff, we will achieve great things. I want to thank Mitzi and the entire Board for this opportunity.”
A native of St. Louis, she and her family moved to Columbia in 2023, when her husband Kerrick Jackson became the University of Missouri’s 15th head baseball coach. They have two sons, Zion and Lazarus. The Jacksons previously lived in Columbia from 2011 to 2015.
Jackson succeeds Andrew Grabau’s nearly ten years of service as the organization’s President and CEO as well as the interim leadership of David Holtgraewe who stepped forward in December to lead United Way until a new leader was selected.
Dr. Nikki Carter, Vice Chair of the Heart of Missouri United Way Board of Directors, led the selection committee of community members to identify the next leader. “We deeply appreciate the significant time and effort the selection committee dedicated during this important process,” Carter said. “Their commitment and thoroughness to this process has been invaluable.”
Heart of Missouri United Way has served mid-Missouri for nearly 78 years as an organization dedicated to improving outcomes for neighbors in need so that all in the community may thrive. In 2024, Heart of Missouri United Way partnered with 25 agencies to oversee 37 grants that had an impact on outcomes in education, health and basic needs, and financial security.
