Bill Rieth, President/CEO
William (Bill) Rieth has been President/CEO of Crossroads United Way, serving Elkhart, LaGrange & Noble Counties since 2011. Prior to joining United Way, Bill served as Coordinator for World Partners Immigrant Ministries and the Administrative Pastor for Grace Missionary Church. Bill has more than 35 years of experience as a director, developer, promoter, recruiter, public speaker, teacher and counselor. Bill received his BA in Zoology and Gerontology from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. Bill has a Masters of Divinity degree in Leadership, Multicultural Work, and Communications from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, IL.
Bill is very involved in his community. He is President of the Goshen Community Schools Foundation, Board Member of the Elkhart River Restoration Association, Committee Chairman and Assistant Scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 5, member of Rotary, and an active member of his church.
Bill lives in Goshen with his wife Karla. They have four adult children and one very cute grandchild.
Natalie Evans, Chief Impact & Development Officer
Natalie Evans joined Crossroads United Way in January of 2022, bringing 15 years of nonprofit experience. She has been working for United Way at both the local and state levels since 2010.
Over the tenure of her United Way experience, she fostered relationships with volunteers, led corporate and individual fundraising teams, designed and implemented development plans, and managed community impact programs. In her prior role as Senior Director of Resource Development for Indiana United Ways, she served as a fundraising consultant providing strategies, developed fundraising plans, and worked with a team of professionals to share best practices to ensure a solid framework for growth and sustainability to the statewide network.
Prior to working at IUW, Natalie served as Development Director at United Way of St. Joseph County, Senior Manager of Engagement at United Way of Central Indiana, and Development Director at Jackson County United Way. She has 11 years of fundraising and management experience with proven success in maximizing results and increasing growth. Natalie’s nonprofit experience includes additional work and volunteer service with United Way’s VITA volunteer free tax program, Kids Coats of Hamilton County, the Economic Club of Indiana, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Goodwill Industries, Junior Achievement, and the Y.
Natalie is a graduate of Indiana University. (Go Hoosiers!) She received her degree in Applied Health Sciences in Human Development and Family Studies. Natalie holds a master’s certificate in Fund Development from the University of Notre Dame. She lives in Granger, IN, with her husband (Mike), their four children, and their Berndedoodle. In her spare time, she loves swimming, running, reading and volunteering in the community, at her church, kids’ schools, and Junior League!
Angie Hoogenboom, Chief Financial & Operations Officer
Angie joined United Way in May 2018. She was born in Decatur, Indiana, and has lived in Bowling Green, Kentucky. She has been a resident of Elkhart County since the age of six. She graduated from Elkhart Memorial High School in 1990 and began her career in the banking and finance industry.
She volunteered with the Cares Mentoring program at Hawthorne Elementary. She serves on the Crossroads United Way Finance Committee. And on behalf of Crossroads United Way as a fiduciary with Elkhart County Community Organizations Active in Disaster. Angie has an Indiana Notary License and holds a Medical Terminology Certificate.
Angie’s role with United Way includes processing payables and receivables, preparing for annual audits by keeping accurate and detailed records, preparing monthly statements, and serving as a record keeper for the staff. She provides HR support to the President / CEO. She also works with the City of Elkhart and the Indiana Gaming Commission to obtain annual licenses and permits for events.
Angie and her husband Brice live in Goshen with their two fur babies Chase and Cassie. She has one son, Tony, and his wife Erin that reside in Crown Point, IN. In her spare time, you might find Angie and her family hitting the trails on snowmobiles or finding trails for their side-by-side ATV to explore. Angie also enjoys volunteering in the community, reading, swimming, and gardening.
Jennifer Haney, Director of Resource Development, focusing on Elkhart County
Jennifer joined Crossroads United Way in the spring of 2021 after serving nearly 18 years at Goshen Health. Jennifer has two bachelor’s degrees from Purdue University (Boiler Up!) in Dietetics and Nutrition, Fitness and Health. The majority of Jennifer’s career she has worked to serve the community in several different roles. Her roles centered around overall community wellness, safety, education, and volunteer engagement. She is a 2023 graduate of the Elkhart Leadership Academy through The Greater Elkhart Chamber of Commerce. Her passion is community engagement and connecting with people to help with the betterment of their welfare.
As a Director of Resource Development, Jennifer builds and develops relationships in the community to aid in the ultimate impact that United Way has on the residents that we serve. She has a passion for building lasting relationships which ensures a solid framework for this role.
Jennifer loves spending time with her family, her husband Brad and their sons Reid and Evan. She enjoys watching the boys swim – in what seems like every single weekend! They all enjoy their very energetic golden retriever, Ellie. She’s a joy to the family, a little naughty, but definitely a joy.
Jessica Elam, Director of Resource Development, focusing on Elkhart County
Jes joined Crossroads United Way in August 2021. She was born in central Indiana but has lived here in Michiana for the last 28 years. She has a degree in Hospitality Administration with a concentration in Baking and Pastry. She worked many years in the wedding industry as a Certified Pastry Chef and most recently in Ophthalmology where she was a Certified Ophthalmologist Assistant and worked as a Counselor for surgeries, services and product lines on the Business Development team. She is also currently working toward obtaining her real estate license in the fall. She is excited for her new role at Crossroads United Way because she has always enjoyed networking as well as forming and cultivating relationships to fulfill the needs of those around her.
As a Director of Resource Development, Jes builds and develops relationships in the community to aid in the impact of Crossroads United Way.
Jes has a 2-year-old daughter named Quinn. Q’s sweet face, attitude and sense of humor keep Jes on her toes. Jes loves fall weather, Diet Dr. Pepper, brewing her own iced coffee and cooking. In her spare time she enjoys friends and family, her hammock, trying out new restaurants and planning out her next travel adventure!
Denise Landers, Area Director, focusing on LaGrange & Noble Counties
Denise joined Crossroads United Way August 2021 after a 30+ year career in healthcare. Denise received her BS in Business Administration and Marketing from Indiana Institute of Technology and later earned her MS in Human Services and Gerontology from Kansas State University. Denise started her career in long term healthcare in high school, working at Miller’s Merry Manor in LaGrange, Indiana. From those days of working in the dietary department, Denise went on to become a Marketing Director for senior communities in Indiana, New Mexico and Ohio. Denise returned to Indiana in 2010 as a Regional Operations Director, working with seniors in need of behavioral health services. She directed programs in Indiana, North and South Dakota, Idaho, Minnesota, Kentucky and Tennessee.
Denise has been a volunteer with the Alzheimer’s Association for 26 years. She has facilitated support groups, helped raise funds and presented programs on behalf of the association in several states. Today, she facilitates a caregiver support group in Topeka, Indiana and presents programs in the northern counties of Indiana.
Denise represents CRUW in the LaGrange County Chamber of Commerce as an Ambassador and is a graduate of Leadership LaGrange County. She is also a member of the Kendallville Rotary Club and is involved with several non-profit steering committees and groups. She is on the Board of Directors for St. Martin’s Healthcare which serves patients in both LaGrange and Noble Counties.
Denise and her husband Jack reside on Pretty Lake, just north of Kendallville. They have adult children in the area, but currently live with a vivacious dog named Chloe and a lazy cat named Hank. You will usually find them enjoying the lake, cooking, traveling, working on home improvement projects, or spoiling the grandchildren whenever possible.
Julie Poertner, Senior Director of Community Impact
Julie joined our team in October 2021. She was born and raised in Elkhart graduating from Concord High School. She attended Ball State University and earned a B.S. in Social Work. Julie has spent her career assisting people with daily needs or referring them to where their needs can be met. She believes in hard work and supporting individuals and families (ALICE families) who are working but struggle at times and fall short for all kinds of reasons but not from lack of effort. “We all go through hardships; my prayer is that when the hardships hit our community members, they know they are not alone.”
As Senior Director of Community Impact, Julie manages all aspects of Crossroads United Way's grant processes.
Julie lives in Elkhart with her rescued poodle, Daisy. She has two sons; Jared who lives with his fiancé Alyssa and my granddaughter Elliot in Crown Point and Bradley who lives in Chicago. Aside from spending time with them my favorite place to be is on my brother’s boat on lake Coeur d’ Alene in Idaho – such a beautiful place. When Julie’s not working or with family she enjoys reading and gardening.
Jill Yoder, Director of Volunteer & Community Engagement
Jill joined Crossroads United Way in Spring 2021 after spending 12 years at Elkhart Public Library, serving as their Community Engagement Coordinator. She recently graduated from WGU Indiana with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and is a proud WGU Night Owl who’s still involved with the alumni network and programs. Jill is also involved with the Greater Elkhart Area Chamber of Commerce Leadership Council, Greenleaf Senior Health Advisory Board, and volunteers with the CARES Mentoring Program.
Jill’s role at Crossroads United Way as Director of Volunteer & Community Engagement allows her to fulfill her passion for building lasting relationships that benefit our communities by connecting corporate partners and individuals with high-quality volunteer experiences.
A lifelong resident of Elkhart County, Jill enjoys the oxford comma, unsuccessful attempts at gardening, and spending time at home with her two cats, Clark & Squish.
Michele Marlow, Operations Manager
Michele joined Crossroads United Way in May 2022. Prior to her time here, she spent 20+ years in education serving junior high to college-aged students. Michele brings over 35+ years of administrative support experience to the Crossroads team and enjoys helping others. She is thrilled to be part of the CRUW team and is excited to serve her community.
As Operations Manager, Michele gets to use her talents and skills to further the team’s mission. Her attention to detail, organization, and support will aid in streamlining processes and procedures.
Michele lives in Granger with her husband, Doug and playful pup, Tucker. She has four adult children and is the very proud grandma of her grand dog, Finnley. She enjoys spending time with her family and exploring new places. On Sundays during football season, you will find her in the crowd cheering on the Indianapolis Colts.