Tucson Goodwill CEO Honored with 2010 Kenneth K. King Management Award

Rockville, MD — When Suzanne Lawder took the helm of Goodwill Industries of Southern Arizona (Tucson) in 1987, the agency served fewer than 80 people per year and the nonprofit was on the verge of bankruptcy. Today, the Tucson Goodwill is a thriving $11 million organization serving close to 15,000 Arizonians annually. For her leadership and vision, Lawder has been awarded the 2010 Kenneth K. King Management Award for Executive Excellence from Goodwill Industries International.
Lawder is extremely active in numerous community organizations, and serves on several boards and commissions. This has placed Goodwill’s mission squarely in the public’s eye, leading to numerous partnerships benefitting Goodwill participants.
In addition to leading her own organization, Lawder assists other Goodwill agencies by sharing award-winning training programs and curriculum such as the Ready-to-Earn program, which has an 85 percent placement rate for participants. She also regularly volunteers as a mentor to new Goodwill CEOs.
“Suzanne epitomizes the qualities of a successful nonprofit leader by combining her business acumen with compassion for those Goodwill serves,” said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. “For more than two decades, she’s worked tirelessly to build her organization into the model nonprofit it is today and we are pleased to award her Goodwill’s top honor for executives.”
This award is presented to a Goodwill Industries executive in recognition of outstanding management abilities and accomplishments. The award recognizes a CEO whose performance consistently demonstrates strong organizational impact related to mission, excellence and sustainability. It is named for the late Kenneth K. King, who endowed the Kenneth K. King Management Award for Executive Excellence Trust.