Effective January 16, 2022, HHS Secretary Becerra renewed the public health emergency declaration for another ninety days as a result of the continued consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. View the ACCSES Update for more details.
Ed Lada Excited to Propel Goodwill’s Mission Forward
New CEO eyes workforce training initiatives in emerging technologies for the jobs of tomorrow
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Mark McGaffin
P: 717-525-6205
C: 717-743-5827
HARRISBURG, Pa. (Jan. 13, 2022) – Sometimes one moment changes a life. For newly appointed Goodwill Keystone Area President and CEO Edward Lada Jr., it was attending a Goodwill awards ceremony honoring achievements of people with significant disabilities in Louisiana.
“I saw people who had every excuse or reason not to succeed and yet they had overcome and were thriving,” Lada recalled. “I witnessed pure joy in their families and friends as their loved ones earned their recognition, and the transformative impact that opportunity and success can have on a person and their family.
“In that moment, I realized there are rarely any excuses or barriers that you cannot overcome to achieve the most in life. When one overcomes and succeeds, we all succeed.”
Something fundamentally shifted for Lada that day. It changed his personal and professional relationships. He saw the potential in everyone. From that day forward, Lada was hooked on the mission of Goodwill. He knew he could take his entrepreneurial skills and business acumen and propel the Goodwill movement to a new level.
Earlier in his career at Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Louisiana while achieving his master’s degree in public administration, Lada developed a vision for Goodwill focused on modern and advanced technology and streamlined operational efficiencies. Most importantly though, he casted a vision to provide training opportunities for employees to gain skills that would be essential for the workforce of tomorrow.
Lada took that vision with him to Goodwill of Western Missouri and Eastern Kansas (MoKan) in Kansas City where he served as CEO. There he launched an initiative to train individuals in emerging technologies. To Lada, the future state of technology is what will allow people to discover their fullest potential and adapt for the future through the power of work.
“I am excited to build upon the great work Goodwill Keystone Area has done for more than 70 years and to help this organization be on the leading edge of workforce opportunities that train individuals in future technologies for the jobs of tomorrow,” Lada said. “We have an amazing opportunity to grow our tremendous legacy by leveraging technologies in an ethical and responsible way, to augment the human experience, not replace it, and to create truly integrated and inclusive work environments.”
Before joining Goodwill Keystone Area, Lada served as president and CEO of MoKan Goodwill. Here, he led an historic financial turnaround for the organization and also launched a successful initiative to train those with barriers to employment in cutting-edge technologies. Lada joined MoKan Goodwill after serving as vice president of contracts and facility management services for Goodwill of Southeastern Louisiana.
Prior to launching his Goodwill career, Lada was director of business development and operations with Jani-King, one of the nation’s largest commercial cleaning providers.
Lada holds a master’s degree in public administration and ethical leadership from Marist College and a bachelor’s degree in social sciences from Loyola University of Louisiana.
About Goodwill Keystone Area
Goodwill Keystone Area serves 22 counties in central and southeastern Pennsylvania. As a nonprofit, 75 percent of revenue is generated from the sale of donated goods in its retail stores and online auction site. This revenue directly supports Goodwill’s mission to help people with barriers to employment build skills, find jobs and grow careers. To learn more, visit yourgoodwill.org.
Effective January 1, 2022, RCPA member TCV Community Services officially became an affiliate of RCPA member Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit behavioral health care providers serving 25,000 children and adults in 13 states.
Based in Allegheny County, TCV Community Services is a leading nonprofit provider of behavioral health treatment programs and supports focused on adults and adolescents struggling with intellectual, developmental, and addiction challenges.
“This partnership between two behavioral health leaders in Pennsylvania has the potential to transform care for individuals and families all across the Commonwealth,” said Richard S. Edley, PhD, President and CEO of the Rehabilitation & Community Providers Association (RCPA). “I am confident that with the expertise Devereux brings and the role TCV plays as a long-serving, trusted community provider, the behavioral health landscape just became that much stronger for individuals in need of effective, efficient, and high-quality behavioral health services.”
TCV will gain immediate access to Devereux’s national model of clinical best practices and evidence-based care. This relationship will help TVC continue to grow and advance its deeply rooted mission of serving Allegheny County’s most vulnerable communities.
The partnership with TCV will deepen Devereux’s behavioral health treatment practices and perspectives in niche areas, particularly drug and alcohol treatment and rehabilitation services, a specialty expertise of TCV, while expanding its reach into western Pennsylvania. Together, TCV and Devereux will be able to grow into more areas and better serve individuals and families in the Commonwealth and beyond.
Prev