LOUISVILLE, KY. – Goodwill Industries of Kentucky has announced the appointment of Kevin Smith as Chief External Affairs Officer and Christine Tarquinio as Vice President of Marketing. These strategic additions to the organization’s established leadership team further enhance Goodwill’s commitment to its mission and community impact.
As the Chief External Affairs Officer, Smith will oversee the nonprofit’s external outreach strategy, which includes brand management, government and public relations, public policy, fundraising and community outreach. Smith most recently held the position of Vice President of Kentucky Beam Bourbon Affairs. He has served on the Board for Greater Louisville, Inc. and the Kentucky Workforce Innovation Board, and was a Board Chair for the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. He is also a graduate of the Leadership Louisville and Leadership Kentucky programs. Smith brings over 25 years of experience in strategic leadership, public relations, communications, brand management, and more to Goodwill’s leadership team. His expertise will help expand Goodwill’s reach and cultivate positive relationships with external partners.
As the VP of Marketing, Tarquinio will develop and manage Goodwill’s brand strategies and initiatives and oversee its marketing communications department. Tarquinio is coming from Greater Louisville, Inc., where she serves as the Vice President of Talent, Workforce and Brand Strategies. In this role, she helps develop outreach initiatives aimed at growing Louisville’s workforce. Before this position, she served as the Director of Marketing and Brand Strategies, where she contributed to enhancing and maintaining GLI’s marketing efforts. Tarquinio has also provided strategic marketing direction for several high-profile advertising agencies in Louisville, including Doe Anderson, Bandy Carroll Hellige and Red7e.
“We are excited to add two very talented strategic leaders to our executive team,” said President and CEO Amy Luttrell. “Kevin and Christine bring a wealth of experience to help Goodwill raise awareness for what we do, to help us continue to move the needle on poverty through advocacy, marketing, philanthropy and community engagement.”
Smith and Tarquinio will both begin working at Goodwill in December, joining a well-established executive team at Goodwill that has contributed to a period of historic growth for the nonprofit. Over the past three years, Goodwill has grown its impact and footprint to support Kentucky’s hardest-to-serve populations through more than 70 retail and donation locations and 12 opportunity centers. By offering pathways out of poverty for people who want a better life, Goodwill has opened doors to thousands of individuals and provided resources to address the many barriers that hold people back, then helps them find a career track to find sustainability. The executive team includes:
- Amy Luttrell, President and Chief Executive Officer
- Rena Sharpe, Chief Operating Officer
- Mark Hohmann, Chief Financial Officer
- Marcia McClendon, Vice President of People Resources
- Gauri Bhalerao, Vice President of Information Technology
- Mark Daniel, Vice President of Operations
- Martha Stephenson, Vice President of Career Services
- Jon Eller, Vice President of Property and Facilities.
To learn more about Goodwill’s leadership team or its services to its Kentucky communities, visit GoodwillKY.org.
About Goodwill Industries of Kentucky
Goodwill Industries of Kentucky is a 101-year-old nonprofit organization that operates in 103 of Kentucky’s 120 counties. The organization is committed to using resources from its 67 retail stores to help build pathways out of poverty for individuals who need a hand-up in life. In 2023, Goodwill helped place 3,185 Kentuckians into jobs with its 1,330 employer partners and inside its own retail stores. Goodwill uses approximately 90 cents from every dollar generated in its retail stores to operate programs and services that help Kentucky’s hardest-to-serve job seekers build the life they desire.