<i> Focus </i> : United Way Official Helps National Agency

Cecilia Sandoval, a senior vice president for United Way of Greater Los Angeles, has been part of a major overhaul of the nonprofit group’s national agency. After working as a volunteer for many years, Sandoval joined United Way’s staff five years ago, she said, “to help reshape the organization to be more responsive to the diverse communities in L.A.” United Way hopes to meet regularly this year with residents and community leaders to determine the most pressing needs, Sandoval said. A Boyle Heights native, Sandoval helped to found the Hispanic Women’s Council in 1973, and from 1981 to 1985 she served as the group’s executive director. “My whole life I’ve been involved in community service,” she said.