Jennifer Carter is an executive leader with extensive experience managing strategy and operations in non-profit, philanthropic, social impact, and corporate social responsibility roles. With over 15 years of leadership experience, Jennifer is skilled in aligning strategies and operations with company mission, vision, and goals. 

With a passion for social work, Jennifer obtained both a BSW and MSW from Western Michigan University. In 2003, Jennifer joined Goodwill Industries of Southwestern Michigan as a case manager. Following, she was quickly promoted through progressively responsible roles and began serving as the Director of Human Services Projects and Grants in 2007. 

In 2013, Jennifer was tapped to serve as the Mission Services Director of Goodwill Industries of West Michigan, charged with building community relationships, expanding company mission, and implementing mission-focused programs. During this time, Jennifer was additionally selected as a member of Goodwill’s Executive Development Program and completed a 16-month training program to assume executive-level leadership roles within the company and field.

Shortly after, Jennifer was recruited as the Senior Director of Workforce Development at Goodwill Southeast Georgia. In this role, Jennifer managed a team of over 25 employees, charged with leading change across the company during the organization’s restructure. During this time, Jennifer ensured success during the company’s transformation, meanwhile increasing the organization’s capacity to serve the community by 35% and billable hours by 80%.

Most recently, Jennifer has served as the Chief Mission Officer of Goodwill Central Texas, the largest organization in Texas and 13th largest program nationwide. As a member of the senior leadership team, Jennifer manages a team of over 125 direct and indirect reports within a $10M division. In this role, Jennifer is responsible for developing and implementing strategies to meet organizational goals and create a strong, lasting community impact. 

In this role, Jennifer has most notably led efforts to secure $5M COVID relief funding for the Texas workforce. Moreover, Jennifer has championed efforts to build new programs, including an initiative designed to impact the basic needs, mental health, and career advancement of employees which created a 20% improvement in 90-day retention.

Throughout her career, Jennifer has been recognized as a champion of employee development and retention. She is highly involved in leading internal workforce development programming and has implemented initiatives throughout her career to increase employee satisfaction and retention. Jennifer carries these interests outside of her professional experience as well. As the Owner & Founder of Flashlight Thinking, Jennifer leads a management consulting firm providing executive coaching and group training. Jennifer is a Certified Professional Coach and Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner, skills which she draws upon in her consulting business.

A trusted advisor and strategist, Jennifer additionally serves as a Board Member for Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area and Austin Clubhouse. Jennifer has additionally served in the Chair role for the Austin Travis County Reentry Roundtable