Recently, Blair Search Partners CEO, Trevor Blair, sat down with Carla Vargas Jasa, President and CEO of Valley of the Sun United Way, for the latest episode in our Building a Winning Team LinkedIn Live series.
Carla and Trevor’s conversation explored how nonprofits can remain agile, mission-aligned, and impact-driven amid today’s political, economic, and workforce challenges.
Join us as we dive into the topics they discussed.
Meet Carla
Carla Vargas Jasa leads with both conviction and clarity. As President and CEO of Valley of the Sun United Way, she brings nearly 30 years of nonprofit leadership experience—most of it shaped within the United Way network. Her journey began in Orange County, where she steadily rose through the ranks by building programs, raising resources, and developing strategic plans grounded in community voice.
Carla’s deep commitment to equity is personal. Born to parents who fled political persecution in Paraguay, she was raised on values of justice, resilience, and civic responsibility. Though she once considered becoming a human rights lawyer, she found her calling in nonprofit leadership, where she could drive change from the ground up.
Since joining Valley of the Sun United Way in 2019, she has guided the organization through a global pandemic, launched a region-wide community needs assessment, and implemented a bold strategic vision focused on housing, education, healthcare, and workforce development. Today, she continues to champion systems change by centering transparency, collaboration, and thoughtful action.
Navigating Disruption with Data and Intention
When Carla joined the organization in 2019, Valley of the Sun United Way was closing out a decade-long strategic plan. It was the perfect time to pause, reflect, and ask a critical question: What does our community need from us now?
Through a broad, community-led engagement process that spanned donors, educators, nonprofits, elected officials, and business leaders, four strategic priorities emerged: housing and homelessness, early education and youth employment, healthcare access, and workforce development.
While the organization was navigating its community engagement process, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Thanks to early investments in technology and strong community relationships, Valley of the Sun United Way was able to stay connected and responsive—moving quickly to virtual convenings, community surveys, and the launch of a COVID-19 response fund.
The team launched weekly virtual convenings with partners, shifted community sessions online, and created a COVID-19 response fund to get resources out quickly. That capacity to stay nimble under pressure has since become a hallmark of the organization’s leadership.
Responding to Policy Shifts with Sector-Wide Collaboration
In early 2025, Valley of the Sun United Way faced a fresh wave of uncertainty as new federal executive orders threatened critical funding streams for many of its nonprofit partners and introduced restrictions impacting DEI initiatives and immigration policy.
Rather than react in a silo, Carla and her team launched a flash survey and a series of in-person CEO convenings with nonprofit and business leaders. What they found was striking: it wasn’t just smaller organizations under threat. Larger, federally funded nonprofits were equally vulnerable – especially those working on the frontlines of education, workforce development, and immigrant support.
In response, United Way leaned into its role as a convener. They gathered critical data, uplifted community stories, and began building a unified message to help corporate partners and elected officials understand the local consequences of federal shifts. Carla noted that while philanthropy is powerful, it can’t fill a public funding gap that’s growing wider by the month. For real systems change, cross-sector partnerships are essential.
Rethinking Revenue Models and Organizational Strategy
Internally, Carla and her team are also reimagining what it means to be a sustainable nonprofit in today’s landscape. Valley of the Sun United Way is moving beyond legacy fundraising models and exploring new approaches to resource development. But they’re not doing it in isolation. Every staff member’s role connects back to a clear, transparent business plan—one that Carla co-developed with team input and board engagement.
She’s also brought a disciplined, strategic lens to leadership development, building a distributed leadership model, creating clear functional goals across departments, and regularly assessing progress.
Caring for the Team, Not Just the Mission
Recognizing that today’s nonprofit professionals are being asked to do more with less, Valley of the Sun United Way is also investing in internal sustainability. From listening sessions and annual retreats to informal “Carla’s Corner” updates, the organization prioritizes open communication, trust-building, and authentic engagement.
Staff are encouraged to bring forward ideas, questions, and needs—and those conversations are informing everything from office space design to future hiring. It’s not about business as usual. It’s about creating a resilient organization where staff can thrive alongside the communities they serve.
Lessons in Leadership Transitions
Carla also shared key insights on CEO succession. Stepping into the shoes of a beloved predecessor, she navigated the transition with humility, clarity, and structure. Her 100-day plan included stakeholder mapping, internal listening sessions, and regular reporting to staff and board alike. The result? A smoother transition, higher trust, and a roadmap grounded in collective insight.
For nonprofit leaders eyeing future transitions, Carla’s advice is clear: listen first, act second. Honor legacy while building new momentum. And never underestimate the power of preparation.
What’s Next
As Carla put it, “Don’t keep doing things the way you’ve always done them.” In a time of growing complexity, it’s a mindset every nonprofit leader should embrace.
We’re grateful to Carla Vargas Jasa for offering a grounded, strategic look at how Valley of the Sun United Way is navigating change with clarity and courage.
Stay tuned on LinkedIn as we continue to meet with top experts in and around the nonprofit sector to discuss relevant issues, grow our understanding of the challenges and opportunities in our workplaces, and uncover the ins and outs of what it takes to Build a Winning Team.
If you’re curious about Blair Search Partners, on the hunt for a new role, or looking to fill positions in your organization, reach out and let’s see what we can do together!