Dear Alumni and Friends of Leadership Austin,
I have important and exciting news to share!
As many of you know, next year, Leadership Austin will celebrate an amazing 44 years of connecting and developing leaders to courageously transform our communities. What you may not know is in that time, we’ve only had four CEOs. That remarkable fact is a testament to the very thing that we stand for … strength in leadership!
With that said, I am proud to announce and welcome our next CEO: Jill Goodman. Jill will transition to her new role at the end of the year. With an extensive background in both the private and public sector, Jill is an innovator with a strong grasp of the issues facing our region who has demonstrated experience driving positive change across communities. A graduate of the 2015 Leadership Austin Essential class, as well as a graduate of Leadership Round Rock where she supported the Mayor and City Council, Jill is deeply dedicated to our mission, and she is the right person at the right time to help us reimagine who we are, drive deeper connections with each of you, and emerge stronger in our post-pandemic world.
This important decision was a result of an in-depth search and analysis of 126 applicants who applied for this coveted role. Jill emerged as the leader who meets the criteria that were carefully crafted to not only address our mission, but also our goals; not only thinking of today, but also 10 and even 15 years from now. Some of you may have already met Jill, given her very active role in the community, whether through her work with Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, the City of Austin, or the City of Round Rock. I know you will join me in congratulating Jill and supporting her as she transitions to Leadership Austin, and I hope you have the opportunity to meet her soon. In the meantime, you can read our press release for more information.
Let me take a final note here to recognize the extraordinary job Christopher Kennedy has done in these last nine years. He hands this organization to Jill as an efficient, effective, well-run collective of programs and strong Leadership Austin alumni serving in roles across our region. His ability to look around the corner to see what’s next and keeping our organization at the forefront of important issues with a seat at the table has had a significant impact on who we are today and what we’ve been able to accomplish. We will forever be grateful for his exceptional leadership – especially his guiding hand during the pandemic. But he will not be far away as he returns to his seat as an alumni and former Board Chair. I know I say this on behalf of the over 3,000 alumni, thank you, Christopher, for everything.
Please join me in welcoming Jill as the fifth Chief Executive Officer of Leadership Austin.
