Goodwill of Greater Detroit has appointed Greg Anderson vice president of workforce development, effective March 10. In his new role, Anderson will oversee Goodwill’s employment and training services across metro Detroit, responsible for planning, development, implementation and growth of the department.
“Greg has built an extraordinary career in service of others, helping people achieve greater levels of success than they ever thought possible for themselves,” says Dan Varner, president and CEO of Goodwill of Greater Detroit. “His innovative thinking and expertise will facilitate the continued growth of Goodwill’s employment services programs for members of metro Detroit communities.”
Anderson previously served as director of Goodwill’s award-winning Flip the Script program, where he oversaw the expansion of the program into Oakland County with the opening of a new location in Pontiac in 2024 and has assisted over 100 justice-involved individuals gain employment in the welding industry, resulting in $4.5 million in earned wage revenue. The program, which is partially funded by the sales of gently used goods at its seven iconic retail stores throughout metro Detroit, provides educational and workforce development services to help justice-involved individuals overcome employment barriers.
Prior to this, Anderson served as executive director of the City of Detroit Community Health Corps, an initiative to assist vulnerable and disconnected residents with securing basic needs, improving economic mobility and quality of life. He also designed the “Progressive Based Spending” model, a braided funding concept leveraging a combination of federal and philanthropic funding to move households from crisis to stability. The model provided $1.2 million in assistance in 2021, impacting 2,500 residents and is expected to help over 14,000 more.
Anderson is a board member of the Michigan League of Public Policy and co-chair of the Community Health Council for Justice Impacted Residents, which is part of a partnership between Aetna Better Health Solutions and Goodwill of Greater Detroit. Anderson is a graduate of Wayne State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Employment and Labor Relations.
The new workforce development position is one of two roles created as part of a succession plan to replace Goodwill’s executive vice president and chief mission officer, Felicia Hunter, who announced her retirement last year after more than 45 years of service with the organization. Hunter’s retirement will be this fall. The other position, vice president of behavioral health, is expected to be announced in May.
