Page 19 - 2019 Spring Conference Ebook

and an absorber of information. With such a • Aligning strategically and creatively with
short tenure, he is still granted leeway to ask
beginners' questions.
“I’m hoping to bring a perspective of how GII
needs to think differently about serving the
members — what that means in terms of
having the biggest impact. I realize our impact
is through your impact. There’s 130 of us;
there’s 130,000 of you. You guys are the power.”
What He’s Hearing from Goodwill Leaders
As Preston meets with Goodwill CEOs across
North America, he frequently hears leaders’
desires to leverage the network’s collective
power. He has heard calls for greater alignment,
visibility, impact and learning. He acknowledges
the desire for Goodwill organizations to maintain
their autonomy in a federated network, yet
recognizes that Goodwill has much more power
as a unified network. He has also heard longing
in the field to figure out how to drive change
more quickly.
“One of the questions I posed to our board and
all the CEOs is, how does the network work
better to come together for big decisions, to align
better?”
Ways Goodwill Can Move Forward Together
Two weeks after the Conference of Executives,
Preston and his leadership team compiled all
the points of feedback they had received from
Goodwill members, reviewed their organizational
skill sets and capabilities, and launched five key
initiatives. Combined, they are known as Impact
2020, and they aim to move the needle for
Goodwill organizations in a way that will have a
near-term impact by:
• Helping struggling members in their
retail programs by providing mentorship,
remediation plans and assistance to help
these organizations through challenges.
• Driving better understanding of Goodwill’s
life-changing mission and the impact it
has for individuals, their families and their
country.
partners so that programs deliver the power of
corporate work and social enterprise, and the
immediate benefit is felt faster.
• Launching the Gateway system and guiding full
adaptation, so the network has clear, trackable
data on the impact we’re having.
• Improving the way Goodwill professionals learn
from each other by packaging and curating
learnings in a digestible way.
While Preston believes Goodwill has an enormous
impact on individuals, their families and their
communities, he said that impact can be
multiplied many fold. The launch of the Goodwill
®
Digital Career Accelerator — which touched
250,000 people and resulted in 30,000 of them
getting jobs in its first year — was just the first
step.
“We are the juggernaut to address some of the
biggest workforce development issues in the
country. My goal is for us to be the best possible
partner we can be.”
His Personal Life
Although Preston is passionate about the Goodwill
mission and the work he’s doing every day, he also
has a great passion for his five children, who range
in age from a 24-year-old in medical school to a
16-year-old still at home. “One of the best things in
life is seeing your kids become who they’re going
to be — and being a part of that.”
In his free time, Preston is an avid cyclist. He is
also a voracious reader and particularly enjoys
reading about what’s happening in the country
and world. “I love to read about who we are as
a people, how we got here and how we can fix
problems.”
Watch, Read, Learn | Curated Content
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