When Lawana Jones graduated from Nazareth University in 1988 with a business degree — long before the massive use of social media, the internet, or smartphones — she had no idea she would one day become an influential African American woman in global nonprofit technology leadership and be voted one of the Top 50 Women chief technology officers in the country for 2025.
Today, Jones is the senior vice president and chief technology officer of United Way Worldwide, the third largest private nonprofit organization in the world. The network serves more than 48 million people annually across 37 countries. She is a visionary futurist, digital strategist, and — through her own nonprofit — a passionate advocate for families with children on the autism spectrum, a commitment that she has held for more than two decades.
“I call myself a futurist,” Jones says, “but now I realize I inherited that from my father. Growing up, he didn’t own a computer, but he told me early on, ‘This is your field.’ He saw something before the rest of the world did.”
From Rochester to the world stage
Jones’ professional journey began in Rochester, New York, with early roles at Xerox, L3Harris, HealthNow, and Excellus BlueCross BlueShield. After years of consulting and corporate leadership, she joined the United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes as COO. Just a year later, she was tapped by Angela Williams — the first Black woman president & CEO of United Way Worldwide — to lead global technology transformation as CTO.
She became the first African American woman to hold that position in the organization’s 138-year history.
Driving the Future of Tech and Inclusion
At United Way Worldwide, Jones has overseen the modernization of the organization’s aging tech infrastructure, hired a diverse new tech workforce, and redefined how the nonprofit uses artificial intelligence.
Starting with a single memo to the board in 2023, she launched a comprehensive AI governance policy, ensuring AI tools are now being implemented ethically and securely. Her team is now preparing to roll out Microsoft Copilot Chat and in the fall will host the organization’s first AI Hackathon to accelerate problem-solving for community issues.
“AI is powerful,” she explains, “but at United Way, our brand is built on trust. So governance and responsible use of AI is nonnegotiable. Staff must understand that inputting sensitive or private data into tools like ChatGPT carries real risk if the platform’s data handling practices aren’t fully understood. That’s why we’ve established a comprehensive AI governance policy and began in 2024 to roll out targeted training to our department’s AI ambassadors to ensure our teams use AI responsibly and securely.”
True to her belief that technology should serve the most vulnerable, Jones led the creation of a multilingual FAFSA-support chatbot in collaboration with Meta, Deloitte, and the U.S. Department of Education — targeted to use an AI tool to help thousands of families navigate the complex financial aid process.
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| At United Way Day of Action |
Breaking barriers & building inclusive teams
As a Black woman in tech, Jones has often had to outperform to be recognized. Historically, women — including women of color — have not received the same opportunities to succeed in STEM fields as men, and Jones was passed over for opportunities, promotions, and bonuses during her career, despite consistently outworking her peers. Now in a C-suite leadership position, she’s made it a priority to open doors for others, breaking new ground in inclusion in her field. Building her team at United Way Worldwide has given her a chance to shape the organization’s tech future.
“My help desk had no female representation when I arrived,” she says. “Today, we have diversity in age, race, and gender, with young talent, and professionals of every background. If we serve diverse communities, our team must reflect that.”
Jones' inclusion approach is not just a hiring strategy — it’s a leadership philosophy rooted in her own experiences at Nazareth. She recalls feeling isolated and excluded as one of the few Black students on campus, but the mentorship of professors like Shawgi Tell, who challenged her to think critically and holistically, helped shape her worldview and strengthened her perseverance to know that life requires complete commitment and passion to overcome challenges.
“He was a truth-teller,” she says. “He also made me realize that decisions must be made by seeing the full picture of truth — not just the upside.”
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| Graduating from Nazareth, 1988 |
Purpose beyond position – 20 years of advocacy
Despite her global role and all her career success, Jones never lost touch with her local community or her most personal calling: advocacy for children with special needs. In 2005, inspired by her daughter’s autism spectrum disorder diagnosis, she founded the Autism Council of Rochester, which has since become a lifeline for parents seeking education, support, and services. Over time, she became a go-to person for autism assistance, advocacy, education, and support in her community.
Inspired by her daughter, who didn’t receive the support she needed, Jones created her own seat at the table. Remarkably, after 20 years and increasing professional responsibilities, she is still driven to make a direct impact on the lives of young learners in need.
In June on her lunch hour, the senior vice president of a multibillion-dollar organization logged into a Zoom meeting with the Rochester City School District to advocate for a mother’s right to maintain special education services for her child.
“Because of technology, I was able to attend her CSE meeting from Washington, D.C., and really advocate for her,” Jones said. “Through the perseverance of the mother, and me reminding them what the special education law is … she’s going to maintain her services through the next school year.”
That’s the essence of Lawana Jones’ legacy — thinking critically and holistically to build bridges between innovation and compassion, power and purpose, global leadership and grassroots impact. This is what makes Jones a powerful and impactful futurist.
