William Aramony

William J. Aramony (July 27, 1927 – November 11, 2011) was CEO of United Way of America for more than twenty years.

He helped build United Way into the largest charitable organization in the United States.

He grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts, graduated from Clark University in 1949 and matriculated at the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work, where in 1951 he earned a master's degree.

Aramony married the former Bebe Ann Nojeim, and the union produced three children, William, Susan and Robert.

Son Robert was at one time president of Sales Service/America Inc., a for-profit subsidiary of UWA.

Aramony served in the Medical Service Corps of the United States Army, treating soldiers returning from the Korean War with posttraumatic stress disorder.

He was assigned to a Texas military hospital from 1951 to 1953 as a lieutenant.

Aramony began in 1954 as a staff planner for the South Bend, Indiana Community Chest.

Four years later, he was hired as a local executive in Columbia, South Carolina, then Miami, Florida where he was known as a superb fund raiser and enthusiastic promoter for the charities he represented.

He was hired as CEO of the national governing body, the United Community Funds and Council of America (UCFCA) in 1970.

During his tenure, United Way receipts rose from $787 million in 1970 to more than $3.1 billion in 1990 ($1.04 billion in 1970 dollars).

He began an organizational makeover and the group was renamed, United Way of America (UWA), and moved from New York City to Alexandria, Virginia in 1971.

A common stated purpose and standard name (United Way of ...) was established for local affiliates.

Next, he formed a partnership with the National Football League in 1973, whereby "players and coaches made public service announcements about their involvement with United Way chapters" which were broadcast during NFL games at no charge.

"[T]hese associations brought widespread attention" to the United Way and in 1975, helped push donations above $1 billion for the first time.

Aramony helped develop a core strategy, which emphasizes an annual community-wide campaign in the Fall.

United Way provides assistance to employers, who provide a payroll deduction option to encourage workers to contribute to United Way.

Agencies that receive United Way funding agree not to solicit donations during the UW campaign.

He authored the book, United Way: The Next Hundred Years in 1987 and created the minority roundtable which increased minority involvement in the organization.

Over his career, he helped develop numerous United Way leaders.

Some of these new leaders, Ralph Dickerson Jr., at United Way of New York City; Oral Suer and Norman O. Taylor from United Way of the National Capital Area, were later involved in expense report scandals.

Aramony was awarded the Silver Buffalo Award in 1988 by the National council of the Boy Scouts of America.

It is presented for noteworthy and extraordinary service to youth on a national basis.

Aramony and his wife, Bebe were separated in 1988.

In 1990, there were UWA office rumors about Aramony's liaisons with a teenage girlfriend on vacations in Paris, London and Cairo.

An anonymous note on UWA letterhead was sent in late 1990 to UWA's chairman, Edward A. Brennan, who was the chairman of Sears, Roebuck & Company.

The letter alleged that the charity was being looted by its president, who was romancing a young woman.

When Aramony was questioned about the allegations, he denied any wrongdoing.

His divorce became final in 1991.

Late that year, a source at the national office revealed that Aramony flew first class, sometimes on the Concorde, used chauffeur-driven town cars and alleged that he had lavished expensive gifts on friends.

After receiving multiple requests for information from the media, the United Way of America's board of governors hired outside investigators in December 1991.

The auditors were instructed to review the books and examine accounting procedures within the agency.

According to The Washington Post, their investigation "found sloppy record-keeping, inattention to detail, and accounting problems," but no direct "evidence that Aramony had enriched himself".

In fact, all of Aramony's travel expenses were supposed to be reviewed before approval by the United Way's board of directors, whose chairman was Robert E. Allen, then the CEO of AT&T.

The auditor's biggest criticism was that documentation was lacking to distinguish business expenditures from personal charges.

The outrage from local United Way organizations across the country was overwhelming.

Scores of offices disaffiliated themselves and/or discontinued their 1% "contribution" of dues to the national office.

He retired in 1992 amid a scandal that led to criminal charges of fraud and financial mismanagement, for which he was subsequently convicted in 1995 and sentenced to prison.

Aramony was born in Jewett City, Connecticut.

His parents, Russell and Nazley Farrah Aramony, emigrated to the United States from Lebanon, and he was the youngest of their five children.