Goodwill of the Heartland names Pat Airy as new CEO

IOWA CITY -- Goodwill of the Heartland has named Pat Airy, the organization's chief operations officer, as its new chief executive officer.

Airy, who will begin serving as CEO on Monday, was selected from a pool of 80 national candidates. Her experience with the organization is one reason the board of directors chose Airy.

“Pat brings an unmatched depth and breadth of knowledge about Goodwill of the Heartland that will suit us well as we grow and work through challenges in the human services field,” said Terri Davis of Shuttleworth and Ingersoll, chairwoman of the Goodwill of the Heartland board of directors. “Pat's personal leadership and her enthusiasm to help others develop their leadership skills are valuable assets that made her stand out.”

Airy joined Goodwill of the Heartland more than 25 years ago as a job development specialist, helping to create jobs for people served by the organization. After pursuing other opportunities for a short time, Airy returned to lead the Iowa City organization's human resources department.

Airy is looking forward to her new role.

“I've known for a long time that I eventually wanted to lead a Goodwill and I'm pleased that I get to do that with this organization, which I'm passionate about,” Airy said. “Our board members, senior leaders, staff and clients are tremendous and I'm honored to get to work with them to grow Goodwill of the Heartland so that we can serve more people throughout our territory.”

In addition to her work at Goodwill, Airy has been involved in the Cedar Rapids Downtown Rotary Club, Trees Forever board of directors, the Parent Education Consortium Board, Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa and the Society for Human Resource Management. She actively participates in her church and the activities of her three children.

Airy and her husband, Dave, reside in Hiawatha along with their son. Their two daughters attend college.