SANTA ANA, Calif. – October 30, 2019 – Goodwill of Orange County is pleased to announce the appointment of two new members to its Board of Directors: Suzi Brown, Vice President of Communications for Disneyland Resort and Ed Rodriguez, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for Golden State Foods.
Both new appointees begin a three-year term in October 2019.
“We are thrilled to welcome two extraordinarily passionate and talented professionals from iconic Orange County companies to our Board of Directors,” said Nicole Suydam, President and CEO of Goodwill of Orange County. “Suzi Brown and Dr. Ed Rodriguez not only bring a wealth of talents and diverse experience to the board, but also a deep commitment to the Goodwill mission of helping people facing barriers find meaningful employment. I am honored to work alongside them.”
Suzi Brown is Vice President of Communications for Disneyland Resort. Brown has more than three decades of experience in key communications roles, including 11 years at Disneyland, and currently oversees internal, external and executive communications. She works closely with resort leaders to develop internal communications strategies and plans designed to engage and inform more than 30,000 Disneyland Resort Cast Members. Prior to joining Disney, Brown’s experience spanned several industries, including roles at Anaheim Elementary School District, Carl’s Jr. Restaurants and the City of Anaheim.
As a longtime volunteer, she currently serves on the Disney VoluntEAR Leadership Council and the Resort’s Diversity Resource Group CastABLE, which promotes respect, equality and appreciation of people with disabilities. She received her degree in Communications, with an emphasis in Public Relations, from California State University, Fullerton.
Ed Rodriguez, Ph.D., is Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for Golden State Foods. Dr. Rodriguez is a passionate executive leader with a goal to develop talents and prepare organizations for change. He has held several prominent human resources positions for more than two decades, including at Sheraton, PepsiCo and Ventura Foods.
At Golden State Foods, he currently oversees corporate human resources functions, and leads talent management, succession planning, performance management, labor relations and employee value proposition strategy. Dr. Rodriguez also leads organizational development efforts, including recognition, engagement, change management and organizational design. He received his degree in English from University of California, Santa Barbara, master’s degree in Communication Management from the University of Southern California and Ph.D. in Education with an emphasis in Leadership Studies from Chapman University.
About Goodwill of Orange County
Since 1924, Goodwill of Orange County has been in the business of helping people facing barriers find and keep meaningful employment. Founded on the belief that every person should have the opportunity to achieve the independence that work provides, Goodwill is most recognized for being the conduit where donated goods are sold in America’s favorite thrift stores to generate the revenue that provides the services to those who face employment challenges. Goodwill of Orange County, now in its 95th year, has supported hundreds of thousands of Orange County residents since its inception by creating and providing quality training and employment services to empower its program participants to be productive and independent. The nonprofit organization has dozens of programs that support this effort, including the Goodwill Rogers A. Severson Fitness & Technology Center, Orange County’s only facility specially designed for people suffering from chronic illnesses and physical disabilities; its global approach to serving veterans and their families, Goodwill of Orange County Tierney Center for Veteran Services, which helps former service members and their families find resources and services to meet and serve their unique needs, including housing, job placement, education, and wellness; and its Assistive Technology Exchange Center (ATEC), which provides access to more than 1,000 state-of-the-art technology devices for children and adults with disabilities. These are just a few of Goodwill of Orange County’s innovative programs that have served those facing barriers in Orange County for the past nine decades. To learn more about Goodwill of Orange County, visit ocgoodwill.org.
