Goodwill Industries International Honors Jay Stancill with Mission Advancement Award
Macon, GA — Chef Jay Stancill knows his way around a kitchen but is equally comfortable in the classroom. Stancill has been instrumental in the success of a culinary arts training program at the Helms Career Institute, an initiative of Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia and the CSRA. For innovation in developing educational opportunities for the people Goodwill® serves, Stancill is the 2012 recipient of the Robert E. and Charlotte Watkins Award for Excellence in Mission Advancement, an annual honor bestowed by Goodwill Industries International.
In addition to developing the culinary arts curriculum for the certificate, diploma and associate’s degree programs, Stancill set up the program’s infrastructure, developed policies and procedures that led to national accreditation as a post-secondary vocational college, and trained faculty and instructors. Today, he also manages two hospitality operations where students get real-life culinary arts experience: Edgar’s Bistro, an upscale restaurant named on behalf of Goodwill’s founder, Edgar J. Helms; and the food service program at the Anderson Conference Center, which has the capacity to serve up to 1,000 guests.
“Jay’s leadership and vision helped Goodwill realize a dream of providing occupational skills training that leads to meaningful careers in a high-demand industry,” said Jim Stiff, CEO of the Macon Goodwill. “The portable credentials that students receive give them an advantage in a tough economy.”
Last year, 87 students completed almost 25,000 hours of training and 67 graduates of the program found jobs in the hospitality industry.
“The culinary arts program has been instrumental in helping the unemployed and underemployed, and those with disabilities and other workplace disadvantages, realize the American dream,” said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. “Jay Stancill is a deserving recipient of an award dedicated to innovation in advancing Goodwill’s mission of putting people to work.”
Stancill will receive his award at Goodwill’s annual Delegate Assembly meeting in Miami, FL, on Sunday, June 24, 2012.
ABOUT THE AWARD
The Robert E. and Charlotte Watkins Award for Mission Advancement honors a Goodwill leader (CEO, staff or volunteer) who has made an innovative contribution (service or process) to the advancement of the Goodwill mission.
