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KING OF PRUSSIA, PA – Chief Executive Officer of Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF) Ben Laudermilch has announced his resignation, effective February 2, 2024.
Laudermilch succeeded founder Susan Tachau as PATF’s CEO. He continued PATF’s mission of supporting and advocating for people with disabilities. In his role as CEO, Laudermilch continued to grow PATF’s mission across Pennsylvania, and into new states, working with public and private stakeholders and partners.
PATF Senior Lending and Operations Director Tracy Beck and Board Member Evan Davis have been named as interim co-CEOs of the organization while a search is conducted to select a permanent CEO who will sustain PATF’s mission and leadership.
Tracy Beck is the long-term PATF Senior Lending and Operations Director who has been vital to PATF’s growth and a consistent leader in PATF’s mission. Evan Davis is an executive with a proven successful track record as a COO and CFO for multiple organizations. Evan assisted PATF as a board member and led the recent PATF strategic planning process.
“We are grateful to Ben for continuing to promote assistive technology through meaningful programs for members of the disability community. We are confident in Tracy and Evan’s leadership and their excellent working relationships to sustain PATF through the transition. We look forward to successfully identifying and onboarding a new CEO and to continue making an impact in the disability community,” says Nancy Murray, President of PATF Board of Directors.
PATF remains dedicated and passionate about growing its mission to help older Pennsylvanians and people with disabilities by providing valuable services that allow everyone to have more independent and equitable lives.
The Board of Directors of Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania is pleased to announce the hiring of a new President and Chief Executive Officer, Monique McIntosh. Monique becomes the eighth Goodwill SWPA Chief Executive since its founding in 1919.
Monique joins Goodwill SWPA from her most recent position as the Chief Program Officer of YWCA Greater Pittsburgh, where she has served in various leadership capacities, including Co-Interim Chief Executive Officer and Chief Administrative Officer. She currently manages organization programs and evaluation in her role as Chief Program Officer. Previous to her leadership of the YWCA, she served as Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh’s Vice President of Programs and Services. In each of these roles, she expanded the reach and effectiveness of the organization.
Monique is a member of The Forbes Fund Advisory Council and United Way of Southwestern PA Women’s Leadership Council Diversity Work Group. Monique serves on the Wilkinsburg Community Development Corporation Board, where she chairs the Development Committee and the Sixth Economic Empowerment Development Corporation Board. She also serves as an Advisory Committee member for the Homewood Community Development Collaborative and a Core Team member for the Homewood Comprehensive Community Plan, formally adopted into the city’s Comprehensive Plan. She is an Advisory Committee member for the University of Pittsburgh Community Engagement Center. Monique received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master of Education from Penn West California.
Monique succeeds Michael Smith, who retired last fall after serving as Goodwill SWPA’s President/CEO for 20 years. She will officially begin in her new role on March 1, 2023. Monique represents a considerable step forward for Goodwill SWPA and its commitment to integrating diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging into how they function, as the first woman and person of color to lead the organization.
Goodwill SWPA is a diversified nonprofit human service agency that serves southwestern Pennsylvania and north central West Virginia and manages several affiliate units and special-purpose entities, including Goodwill Commercial Services, Inc. and Mission Logistics, LLC. The agency operates 34 retail stores and several other businesses to help fund programs and to provide job training, education and related services to help people overcome employment barriers. The organization serves over 10,000 adults and youth annually while employing over 1,000 people with an annual budget of over $60 million.
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.