Karen Lithgow is the Chief Marketing Officer of Goodwill Industries of South Florida, the Miami-based nonprofit that employs roughly 3,600 people and reports annual revenue near $196 million. She arrived at Goodwill after a corporate and consulting career that included brand and marketing roles connected to P&G, Disney, ADT and Western Union, followed by partner-level brand strategy and interim CMO work at the consultancy Chameleon Collective. At Goodwill South Florida she oversees marketing for an unusually wide portfolio: a chain of donation centers and thrift stores, an e-commerce operation, and Blue Box Solutions, the organization's B2B manufacturing and logistics arm that produces tens of millions of dollars of military apparel each year. Her public message centers on a single idea she has stated plainly - focusing on abilities rather than disabilities.
Goodwill Industries of South Florida is a Miami-based nonprofit social enterprise that funds training, employment and job placement for people with disabilities and other barriers to work. Founded in 1959, it runs a self-sustaining business model spanning donated-goods retail and thrift stores, technically complex apparel and flag manufacturing for the U.S. military, commercial laundry, janitorial services and third-party logistics. With roughly 3,600 employees and about $196M in annual revenue, it is one of the largest Goodwills in North America and the largest employer of people with disabilities in Florida.