Executive Director - Evergreen Education Center

Evergreen Goodwill of Northwest Washington is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1923 that helps people get jobs across Northwest Washington by offering high-quality free job training, education and job placement. Goodwill empowers individuals to overcome barriers to working, by providing comprehensive support and connecting them with life changing job opportunities, ensuring they are career-ready and can support themselves and their families.

The organization employs over 2,000 people, operates five job-training centers, 23 nonprofit retail stores and more than 27 donation sites in King, Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom and Kitsap Counties. Every day, Evergreen Goodwill connects people with the jobs, services and skills they need because Jobs Change Lives. We are committed to creating and sustaining a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion (DEI) and are focused on creating a joyful, inclusive and successful organization.

Executive Director, Evergreen Goodwill Education Center

Evergreen Goodwill Job Training & Education Center - Seattle, WA

$180,000–$220,000

Evergreen Goodwill is seeking a Founding Executive Director to build and lead the Evergreen Goodwill Education Center (EGEC), a new organization formed to operate Washington State’s first adult high school using the Goodwill Education Initiatives model. Over the next decade, the Evergreen Goodwill Education Center plans to launch at least five Excel Centers—public high schools for adults ages 18 and older—in King, Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom, and Kitsap counties.

Washington’s Excel Centers will build on the national Goodwill Excel Center model, which now includes 50 campuses across 11 states and Washington, D.C. The model combines rigorous academics, wraparound services, and life coaching to help adult students earn high school diplomas.

The Executive Director will shape the execution strategy, build the organization, launch its schools, beginning with Excel Center Goodwill Dearborn in Seattle, and lead them toward long‑term success.

We are looking for an executive and builder who can define a bold strategy, translate it into action, and deliver on the promise of these schools. This leader will build and inspire a team, deliver strong student outcomes, engage funders and community partners, advocate for the schools, build an effective board and collaborate with its members, and create a financially and operationally sustainable institution.

The Excel Center model is a tuition‑free public high school designed to help adults earn a state‑recognized diploma, not a GED, along with college credits or industry certifications. Flexible schedules, life coaching, childcare, and transportation support help students balance school with work and family responsibilities. Excel Center graduates earn more than a diploma: they gain college credits and professional certifications that open doors to higher‑paying careers in high‑growth fields.

A University of Notre Dame LEO study of the Excel Center model in Indiana found that, five years after graduation, graduates earn 38% more and are significantly more likely to work in fields with career pathways, such as healthcare.

Evergreen Goodwill will bring the model to Washington and build on it. We aspire to open an Excel Center in each of the five counties where we operate, ultimately reaching 1,000–1,500 students within the next decade. The founding Executive Director will benefit from a proven model and significant training, guidance, and ongoing support from Goodwill Education Initiatives (GEI), the national experts behind The Excel Center, while shaping the school to meet the needs of our local community.

A combination…