Executive Director, United Way of the Franklin & Hampshire Region: Age 35

Geoff Naunheim

Geoff Naunheim has a heart for nonprofits, so when a position at the United Way of Hampshire County opened up in 2017 — specifically, Community Investment director, where he advocated for and collaborated among numerous United Way program partners — he jumped at it, and excelled in that role for more than four years.

“That’s the program side of the United Way, the part that engages with the nonprofit community and works on how we can invest in the nonprofit sector,” he explained. “That was a real interest of mine. And I loved it.”

And when a bigger role opened up in 2022 at the now-combined United Way of the Franklin & Hampshire Region, he didn’t hesitate, serving as interim executive director for seven months before being offered the permanent job.

“We’re trying to build the shelf, trying to create a strong network of social-service organizations in Hampshire and Franklin County,” Naunheim said. “How do we strengthen those services, and how do we invest in programs that are best-positioned to deliver the best services? It’s really gratifying work.”

It’s challenging work, too. Over the past few years, he noted, homelessness has risen across the region, food-insecurity rates are up, and housing costs are way up.

“I like engaging with people in the nonprofit community who are doing incredible and inspiring work in Western Mass. and often working in tough circumstances on some really challenging problems — and making people’s lives a little bit better,” he said.

He has tackled these trends while managing the merger of the former United Way of Franklin County and United Way of Hampshire County into one organization. “I worked on making sure our processes and cultures aligned and blended in the spirit of the United Way.”

In his spare time, Naunheim is an avid hiking enthusiast — and he’s not satisfied with level ground. He and his wife just finished the New Hampshire 48 last summer, which are all 48 peaks above 4,000 feet in that state. He’s now working through the 100 highest peaks in New England.

“If you had told me 10 years ago that I’d be waking up at 5 a.m. to drive to a trailhead, I would have said you were crazy,” he laughed. “But it’s fun. I love getting into the woods. It gives me some space to think and decompress.”

And then get back to work surmounting some truly pressing problems.

—Joseph Bednar