David Halliday is looking to fill a job — his own.

Serving as 3M's Finance Director, David wants Central Texas children to have the best educational experience possible to ensure they are ready to lead a company like 3M. He has seen how his nephews' struggle in their adult life as a result of not getting the educational support they needed in their school.

"The education system in Texas, as in many states, doesn't seem equitable and I want to make an effort to balance that out. I've been privileged to provide my own children with a great education in good schools. I believe I have a responsibility to step in and give back so every child can have an education that allows them to succeed."

This desire to help children get a good education has led David to support United Way for more than 15 years. "I take the attitude that you put the money where it can make the most impact. United Way has adapted with the times and shows their donors that they can trust that every dollar is put to work locally."

When David moved to Austin four years ago, he took a step further and now volunteers his time as a Board member at Communities in Schools (CIS), a UWCA partner agency. CIS knows that children can not learn at their potential when they are dealing with barriers at home such as poverty, health needs, hunger, an unemployed parent or domestic violence. Through UWCA's Middle School Matters program, CIS will provide individualized services such as parent education classes, volunteer mentorsand tutors for nearly 1,200 students in Decker, Mendez and Webb Middle Schools. Last year, 99 percent of the students referred to CIS stayed in school.

His dedication to giving back in his community was inspired by his parents. During childhood, his family spent one vacation a year completing service projects to help other charitable organizations. "My parents really focused on giving back in whatever way they could, whether it was serving meals or donating toysThey always made a point of taking us with them to make the donation so we could meet the people we were helping."

David's tireless dedication and spirit of giving back made him stand out when 3M was looking for someone to help the company run their United Way campaign. "We want our 3M co-workers to understand the number of lives they are impacting by giving to United Way Capital Area. We want 3M employees to really see the power their donation has and touch the people who have a better life because of it."

As the Employee Campaign Coordinator, David is excited to "rally the troops" and motivate them to give back. He strives to make the campaign a fun, team-building time. Last year, he participated in an employee sumo wrestling competition that raised additional funds for their campaign. One of his goals for this year is to get more employees out into the community through service projects and volunteer opportunities.

David carries on his family's legacy of giving back by instilling these same values in his two college-age daughters. "None of us became successful without the support of our community. It's so important to teach our kids that we have a responsibility to give back with whatever resources we have available. My hope is that my kids will want to follow my example and give back to something about which they are passionate."