Daniele Zanotti
Daniele Zanotti was named President & CEO of United Way in June 2016.With more than 20 years of experience in the public and non-profit sectors, he has earned a reputation as an accomplished, strategic, and energetic leader.
From 2007 to 2015, Daniele served as CEO of United Way York Region, where he led an evolution to transform the charity from federated fundraiser to convener, mobilizer and agent of community change.
In 2015, Daniele was the catalyst behind a merger between United Ways in York Region and Toronto. He helped establish a new regional organization to tackle issues on both sides of Steeles Avenue and stewarded the first-ever United Way Toronto & York Region campaign to an historic achievement of $100 million for United Way’s agencies, programs, and initiatives. United Way’s record-breaking annual campaigns and community investment have continued, and the charity has applied an increasingly regional lens to its work.
Under his leadership, on April 1, 2018, United Way Toronto & York Region merged with United Way Peel Region. As United Way Greater Toronto, the organization is now able to use its bigger scale to strengthen a region-wide strategy to fight local poverty and address and advocate on complex social issues. Crucial to that work is the contribution of donors and volunteers across the region. To harness their time, talent and treasure, United Way is innovating to provide digital tools and a regional infrastructure that will welcome and support the engagement of 1 million people in its efforts by 2025.
Before joining United Way, Daniele served the community through organizations like the Rexdale Community Health Centre; the Regional Municipality of York; Family Day Care Services; and Villa Charities Foundation. He is also deeply involved outside of his professional career, volunteering his time as a member of CivicAction’s Board of Directors and the City of Toronto’s Partnership to Advance Youth Employment (PAYE) and Toronto’s Resilience Steering Committee.
Daniele has a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Social Work from York University. He lives in Vaughan with his wife and two children.