Our Team

Jennifer Hilton Sampson is the McDermott-Templeton President & CEO of United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, the largest social change organization focused on improving access to education, income and health in North Texas. Jennifer’s vision for United Way includes integrating emerging fundraising markets, strategically incorporating innovative uses of technology, and strengthening collaborative partnerships throughout the region.

Since her appointment as CEO and president in 2011, Jennifer has built community confidence in United Way’s mission and impact priorities and achieved unprecedented results in resource development. This catalytic approach to philanthropy is yielding organizational capacity, strategic value and efficiency for the donor community, while creating lasting social change.

A committed community advocate, Jennifer has served in leadership roles for numerous organizations in North Texas throughout her career. She serves on the local boards of the Commit! Partnership, City Year Dallas, The Hockaday School and the Business and Community Advisory Council of the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank. She is a member of the Young President’s Organization, the International Women’s Forum Dallas, the Dallas Assembly and the Dallas Charter 100. Jennifer is also a sustaining member of the Junior League of Dallas. Jennifer was named Woman of the Year by the Women’s Council of Dallas County and a Distinguished Alumnis by Dallas Regional Chamber Leadership Dallas and was recognized as one of the youngest recipients of the Baylor Distinguished Alumni Award. Jennifer and her husband, Edward, have one son, Hilton.

Susan Hoff serves as Chief Strategy & Impact Officer for United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. Before joining the United Way team in 2009, Susan was the CEO and president of ChildCareGroup and, prior to that, was the executive director of Educational First Steps.

In addition to senior leadership roles, Susan’s professional experience includes the positions of teacher, child care center director and parent educator. She is a highly sought-after trainer and public speaker, is an accomplished fund developer and has developed curricula and educational publications for children and adults. Susan is a well-known children’s advocate at the local, state and national levels. She is the co-founder, with Margery Miller, of the Great Girls Network, a platform for women from all walks of life to lift up and inspire one another. Susan serves on the boards of Early Matters Dallas, the Texas Partnership for Out of School Time (TXPOST) and the Essilor Vision Foundation – Americas. She was appointed by Mayor Mike Rawlings to the board of Workforce Solutions Dallas County in 2012, 2015 and 2018. She is also a past president of the Texas Association for the Education of Young Children and past board chair of Social Venture Partners Dallas, First3Years and the Junior League of Richardson.

Janice Harissis serves as the Chief Financial Officer for United Way Metropolitan Dallas and United Way Foundation of Metropolitan Dallas. Prior to joining United Way, she held various leadership roles in finance, accounting and operations at Texas Instruments. She is a CPA and served as business unit controller, Asia Region Audit Manager in Shanghai, China, and as vice president and corporate audit director for the company. She served as executive sponsor for TI’s global Finance and Operations Training Program and was a member of the TI corporate compliance, ethics and cybersecurity committees. Prior to joining TI, Janice was the operations site manager for KES Systems in Midland, Texas, with responsibility for manufacturing operations, IT, purchasing and human resources.

Janice served on the board of the Texas Women’s Foundation as audit committee chair and has served on the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas audit committee and as chair of the strategic controls sub-committee. She previously served on the board of High Tech High Heels.

Rob Shearer serves as the Chief Communications Officer for United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. Prior to joining United Way Rob led the communications team at The Commit Partnership. Rob has more than 25 years of experience in communications and marketing including positions in large and small advertising agencies, for-profit companies, and nonprofit impact work. The Dallas Observer recognized him as one of the Top 100 Creatives in North Texas. He is the proud father of 4 daughters and active in his Oak Cliff neighborhood.