Maria Campos-Harlow is the Executive Director of United Way of Meriden and Wallingford. Her first experience in the non-profit world was as a volunteer, and, more than a decade later, she enjoys a career that she is very passionate about. Over the years, she has gained extensive experience in all areas of non-profit management. She particularly loves working on community outreach and creating strong collaborative initiatives.
Recently, UWMW provided $10,000 in funding to a TriCircle program dedicated to treating people in Meriden’s workforce who are affected by substance use disorders and the disease of addiction. The initiative is designed to encourage and support motivated individuals to get into their upskilling career path to earn a stronger income to better support their families.
United Way of Meriden and Wallingford’s “United We Power Our Workforce” initiative came to fruition after conducting a series of focus groups with stakeholders: community nonprofit partners, local funders, community leaders, and corporate partners. The topic around local “workforce” was consistently mentioned moving United Way into their new community impact area.
Like TriCircle, United Way understands that something must be done to bring struggling families to a comfortable position. Participants from this program will transition from unemployment and underemployment to full, sustained employment. United Way’s Workforce Navigators acknowledge the need for a range of supportive, wraparound services to keep participants focused. The approach will be individualized, and the timeline will be different for each participant. TriCircle is extremely proud to be part of this vital United Way initiative in their new space within the Women and Families Center in Meriden.
Maria has been recognized with numerous awards for her commitment to creating opportunities to improve the lives of Latinos in the Greater Meriden and Wallingford areas.
Maria is originally from Bogotá, Colombia. She lives in Wallingford with her husband John and their daughter Fiona.