Jane Grady

It's a long way from Iowa to Massachusetts. But Jane Grady made the journey, fell in love with New England and made Boston her home. A graduate of Iowa State University in Business Administration, Jane first came east to work with children and take courses at Boston College. Jane joined United Way of Massachusetts Bay (UWMB) in 1997 as Vice President of Human Resources (HR) after spending 11 years in the for-profit world of real estate management. Jane's HR philosophy is to foster and a culture that encourages teamwork, accountability, and innovation with a community of staff who are committed to working together with skill and dedication to our vision.

In 2004, Jane was appointed the first Ethics Officer with the implementation of a new Code of Ethics for the organization. In 2005, she became a member of the Senior Management Team. Jane enjoys marshalling her management position to create and foster a work environment that respects and rewards people working for the greater good.

In the nine years that she has been here, Jane is most proud of her work to revamp the retirement program for UWMB employees. She is dedicated to educating staff by providing the opportunity and incentive to save for retirement. True to her mid-western sense of ethics and values, Jane feels compelled to support and recognize her colleagues whom she deeply admires for arriving every morning ready to enthusiastically make the world a better place.

Jane is the recipient of the 2005 James S. Skall Award granted to a UWMB employee who believes in our work, inspires us and strives for excellence. She is Chair of the Employee Engagement & Communication Team that endeavors to make UWMB an exceptional place to work for people from all walks of life. The Team has most recently implemented new organizational values, a staff survey and community impact education programs.

Jane is a member of the New England Human Resources Association as well as the Society for Human Resource Management.

When outside of work, Jane is happiest traveling the world or training her two Cocker Spaniels-Leo and Bailey. Her favorite travel destinations-besides Maine-are the National Parks of the Western states, the Napa Valley wine region and especially the islands of the Caribbean-just ask her about Turks and Caicos Islands or Barbados.