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The leadership transition at Goodwill Industries Manasota will finally come to a head on July 1.
That’s the day Donn Githens, who has been the president of the organization for the past year, will officially assume the title of president and CEO. The transition began almost a year ago in July when a search committee named Githens, who was vice president of operations at the time, as the new president.
Longtime president and CEO Bob Rosinsky stayed on as CEO to help with strategic planning, organizational development, project management and the succession plan. Rosinsky, who has been with the Goodwill system for 50 years, became the president and CEO in 2013.
Githens has been with the organization since 2006. Over the past year, he’s spent time traveling to other Goodwill locations to guide board members, leaders and teams through expanding the impact of their social enterprises. He also assisted the local leadership team as it shifted into new roles.
“Our leadership — board and professional — has been extremely proactive and methodical to ensure that the transition would be as seamless as possible and the organization’s forward momentum would be uninterrupted,” Steve Boone, chair of the board of directors, says in a release. “We consider ourselves very fortunate not only to have benefited from the incredible expertise, guidance and compassion of Bob Rosinsky but also to have a proven leader like Donn Githens at the ready to carry the baton for us in the coming years.”
The upcoming leader is focused on readjusting the workforce and expanding services to veterans.
“We hope to leverage up-skilling and educational opportunities to enhance career opportunities for everyone we serve,” Githens says. “One of the biggest challenges on the horizon is housing — specifically affordable housing and the infrastructure that is required — so that we have the workforce necessary to continue to serve our community. We all need to find new, innovative ways to impact this tremendous barrier to the workforce.”
In 2021, Goodwill Industries Manasota employed more than 700 team members and assisted 170 find jobs in the region through the services it offers. Although headquartered in Bradenton, its services expand throughout Sarasota, Manatee, Hardee and DeSoto counties.
The corporate campus in Bradenton was developed under Rosinsky’s leadership. Because he’s been with Goodwill Industries Manasota since 1991, Rosinsky also collaborated with former CEO Don Roberts to move to self-funded services as well as oversaw the GoodPartner Coach program creation. He had a hand in creating free job connection services in the area and also launched the American Veterans and Their Families program.
“I look forward to continuing to build on the solid foundation established by the Rev. Don Roberts, Bob Rosinsky and our board of directors,” Githens says. “In partnership with the board, our leadership team will continue to look for new ways to impact mission delivery to both our team members and members of the community, including new and ongoing collaborations with community partners.”
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