Brian Gallagher joined the Board of Trustees in 2017 and serves as vice chair of the board and chair of the Wellness and Development Committee. He previously served as assistant secretary from January 2020-January 2024.
Gallagher, a 1981 alumnus with a bachelor’s degree in social work, in 2020 retired as president and CEO of United Way Worldwide, the world’s largest privately funded nonprofit organization. Under his leadership at United Way, the organization shifted its focus to facilitating community change through partnerships and opportunities that are often unique to one particular city or region.
In 2009, Gallagher oversaw the merger of United Way of America and United Way International into United Way Worldwide. The now-combined organization founded in 1887 works in nearly 1,800 communities worldwide. According to the organization, 8 million donors contribute $4.8 billion annually, while nearly 3 million people around the globe volunteer with the group.
Gallagher earned his MBA from Emory University in 1992, and he was awarded an honorary doctorate in humanities from Ball State in 2003.
He currently serves on the boards of America’s Promise Alliance and Leadership 18. According to its website, Leadership 18 is “an alliance of CEOs” from charities, nonprofits and faith-based organizations that works to connect different resources within a region creating new partnerships focused on specific community-building goals.
Previously, Gallagher served as a member of President Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and is former chair of the Independent Sector. He serves on the Ball State University Alumni Council, and he is a member emeritus of the Ball State University Foundation. Gallagher is married to Ramona, and the couple has two daughters, Katie and Maggie.