Communities Foundation of Texas Taps American Cancer Society EVP as Its Next President and CEO

Communities Foundation of Texas, which has more than $1 billion in assets and ranks as the seventh-largest foundation in Texas, has named a veteran corporate and nonprofit executive to be its next president and chief executive officer.

Wayne White, currently executive vice president of the American Cancer Society in the Chicago area, was tapped to succeed former president and CEO Dave Scullin, who retired in March.

White will take the helm at CFT on July 31.

The news was first reported by the website MySweetCharity.

White’s appointment came after a six-month national search that included more than 280 candidates. The search was conducted by Lochlin Partners, a Reston, Va.-based executive search firm, and a CFT committee led by Richie Butler, who also serves as chair of the foundation’s board of trustees.

“We feel confident that Wayne possesses the unique blend of skills community foundations require in driving lasting change at the local, regional, statewide, and national level,” Butler said in a statement. “Further, we believe that he’s an excellent cultural fit for our growing organization, and that he’ll be able to meaningfully engage with and champion each of our employee leaders across their varying areas of expertise.”

Described by CFT as someone with a “strong organizational management skillset” and a successful track record in fundraising, White has spent nearly six years with the cancer society, where he led its north central region and national partnerships.

According to his LinkedIn profile, he joined ACS after holding management or executive positions at TCL Communication in Los Angeles, Kobo Inc. in Toronto, Motorola in Greater Chicago, Verizon Wireless in Greater Detroit, AT&T Ameritech, and General Electric in Ohio’s Cleveland/Akron area.

He has served on the boards of Gleaner’s Food Bank, HAVEN (a domestic violence shelter), and the National Kidney Foundation of Southeast Michigan.

White was born in Jamaica and raised in Philadelphia. He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master of science degree in telecommunications from the University of Pittsburgh, as well as an MBA in marketing from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

Committed to growing community giving, advancing community equity

Communities Foundation of Texas, based in Dallas, is the largest community foundation in Texas. The 501(c)3 group manages more than 1,200 charitable funds and has awarded more than $2.5 billion in grants since its founding in 1953.

Its North Texas Giving Day—a single day of online giving—is the biggest single-day giving event in the country. Last year, NTX Giving Day raised $62.6 million for more than 3,200 nonprofits.

In a statement, White said he was honored to join CFT.

“I am committed to furthering and expanding the organization’s priorities of growing community giving, expanding community impact, and advancing community equity, and I am eager to build a community of my own here as I make the move from the Midwest to North Texas,” he said.