Meisha Waller has joined the staff of the United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties as the Director of Community Impact.

Waller brings to United Way more than 10 years of professional experience in programs and outcomes management. She earned her undergraduate degree in Human Services Management/Psychology and her graduate degree in Public Administration, Nonprofit Management, both from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Meagan Flippin, President and CEO of United Way, said, “I believe Meisha’s professional experience and education will complement our transformation to a community impact business model, and I am excited to see what fresh ideas and strategies she is able to bring to our United Way.”

Waller has worked in the United Way of Chattanooga’s Community Impact department, where her efforts were focused on the pre-k programming, overseeing a budget of over $1 million and managing literacy instructors within neighborhood reading centers.

Waller then worked for the Mayor of Memphis, where she was responsible for the implementation of the Imagination Library and Books from Birth program in Shelby County.

Following her tenure at Books from Birth, Waller worked for the United Way of the Mid-South in Memphis for five years, managing a community investment portfolio of $4 million across eight counties. In her role, she also served as the Teacher Effectiveness Coordinator, working on education reform and connecting the nonprofit community with Memphis City Schools. Waller led the implementation of five areas of collaboration (school readiness, transportation, secondary literacy, ED Plan and Stanford Math) between Memphis City Schools and community partners to provide supportive services for student success in order to reduce the high school drop-out rate.

Most recently, Waller has served as the Membership Manager for the Girl Scouts Heart of the South. She has served as a Loaned Executive for United Way, working with companies such as Hershey’s and Johnson & Johnson, and is an instructor for the University of Phoenix, approved to teach courses such as Public Policy Development in Health and Human Services and Program Planning and Grant Proposal Writing in Human Services.