12/05/2006
(Fredericksburg, VA) – Rappahannock Goodwill’s mission is connecting people with work opportunities, and now that effort has gained a key supporter.
Kathy J. Beard, a local business owner with more than 20 years of experience in economic development, has joined Rappahannock Goodwill’s board of directors. Beard, who lives in Caroline County, says her focus will be “where we can create more jobs, and how the population that Rappahannock Goodwill serves can have access to those jobs.”
This is a field she knows well. Beard’s business, CE&O Inc., provides economic development services through research, marketing and event management. Before starting her business in 2003, she served eight years as director of economic development and tourism for the City of Fredericksburg. Prior to that position she was economic development director for the RADCO. Beard is also executive vice president of the Stafford Council for Progress, a research organization representing the development industry in Stafford.
Rappahannock Goodwill Industries is a private not-for-profit organization that serves the city of Fredericksburg and a 12-county region. It provides work opportunities and job training to people with barriers to employment, particularly those with disabilities. Its operations include a commercial laundry, off-site custodial and administrative services, an outsourcing and contract facility and five retail stores and donation centers.