Central Indiana Goodwill Names President
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowKent Kramer has been promoted to president and chief executive officer of Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana Inc. Kramer started working at Goodwill in 2002 and currently serves as chief operating officer.
April 13, 2015
News Release
Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana announced today that Kent A. Kramer will become the organization’s new president and chief executive officer on April 22, 2015. He will succeed the retiring James M. McClelland, who has held the post for 41 years, and will become only the fourth leader in the 85-year history of the organization.
Darell E. (Gene) Zink, chairman of Goodwill’s board of directors, said Kramer’s selection followed an extensive national search that resulted in the current Chief Operating Officer being advanced into the top job. Kramer joined the local Goodwill office in 2002 as vice president of retail operations and had served as senior vice president and COO from 2012 to the present.
“Kent’s many accomplishments in his Goodwill career easily qualified him for the top leadership position,” said Zink. “A highlight of that work has been development and execution of an aggressive growth plan where retail division revenue increased from $25.6 million to $80.8 million over an 11-year period, with net income increasing from $6.9 million to $15.8 million. Over the same period, store count totals for the retail division increased from 25 to 57 stores. Kent has proven his business and leadership acumen over the last 12 years, but the position of CEO of Goodwill requires more – a very strong commitment to the mission of Goodwill and the people it serves. Kent came to Goodwill from the corporate world because he embraced the mission and Goodwill‘s role in the community. I would characterize him as an outstanding leader with a caring heart.”
“We utilized a national search firm to validate Kent’s experiences here at the Indianapolis Goodwill. There were many qualified candidates who expressed a keen interest in this position and our Search Committee spent many hours deliberating over the various candidates. In the end, we felt that Kent offered a clear choice since we were familiar with his style of leadership, his track record to date with Goodwill Indianapolis, and his intense interest in becoming our next CEO,” said Owen B. (Bud) Melton, Jr., chairman of Goodwill’s search committee.
In accepting the promotion, Kramer said, “I’m very grateful for this opportunity to lead one of the nation’s leading Goodwill programs. I am thoroughly familiar with its day-to-day operations and its current strategic vision, and look forward to enhancing our outreach to the thousands of Central Indiana residents who may need our services. This Goodwill operation has an extremely rich history, and I’m proud to be given the responsibility to carry it forward.”
According to Melton, “Kent has been Goodwill Indianapolis’ Chief Operating Officer for the past two years. He has demonstrated a vast and wide knowledge of the operations of Goodwill even beyond his direct responsibilities. His demonstrated leadership among his peers and within our entire organization gave us confidence in his ability to manage the total Goodwill Indianapolis organization.”
Kramer has a 1990 Bachelor of Science degree from the Scott College of Business at Indiana State University and a 2013 master of business administration degree from the Falls School of Business at Anderson University.
Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana, Inc. is a social enterprise serving 29 central Indiana counties and employing more than 3,000 Hoosiers. Goodwill’s approach links value-added resources that include access to education, employment and health services that many families need to begin breaking the cycle of poverty. Revenue from the sale of donations stays local, supporting jobs as well as other education and employment services for thousands of residents. For more information, go to goodwillindy.org or call 317-524-4313. Source: Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana, Inc.