Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake, Inc.

Lisa Rusyniak is the president and CEO of Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake, which serves Central Maryland and the Eastern Shore with a budget of $54 million, 31 retail locations, and nine workforce development sites. A mission-driven leader, Rusyniak is dedicated to building a stronger Baltimore through Goodwill’s workforce initiatives, with the ultimate goal of eliminating poverty through employment.

While many know Goodwill for its retail stores, Goodwill is much more, with a mission of preparing people to secure and retain employment and build successful independent lives. Annually, Goodwill places over 900 people into jobs and provides services to over 4,000 individuals.

In 2023, Goodwill is preparing to launch The Excel Center, a tuition-free, public high school for adults, 21 years of age and older. The Excel Center will provide adults the opportunity and support to earn a high school diploma, begin post-secondary education, or access programs that lead to career pathways in middle-skill occupations. Based on a model from the Goodwill in Indianapolis, The Excel Center will be located in Baltimore City and offer flexible class schedules, an accelerated competency based high school curriculum with embedded job training, coaching designed to help students manage work, life and family, on-site childcare, and transportation assistance.

Additionally, under Rusyniak’s guidance, Goodwill has expanded program reach to place individuals into higher-paying jobs by connecting them to middle-skilled employment opportunities. A true collaborator, she has developed relationships with organizations such as The Y of Central Maryland, CVS Health, Google, Meta, Microsoft, and North America’s Building Trades Unions.

Rusyniak joined Goodwill in 1997 and held various leadership roles before she became president and CEO in 2012. She earned her bachelor’s of science degree from Salisbury University, a master’s of science degree from Wilmington University, and has executive certificates from Georgetown, Cornell, and Harvard universities. Rusyniak serves on the board of Business Volunteers Maryland and The Governor’s Workforce Development and the Baltimore City Workforce Development Board, and recently finished two terms on Goodwill Industries Internationals’ Board of Directors.