Samantha Goodman has been on a journey. From her small Maryland hometown to college in South Carolina and on to non-profit work in LA, she has infused her career with an abundance of positive energy and heartfelt optimism-standout traits for ReStore’s new procurement director.
First Habitat meetup
After growing up in Maryland, Samantha studied environmental science at Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina. It was during her college years that she became acquainted with Habitat for Humanity and the ReStore- volunteering weekends-and then later working on several Habitat builds, including at Habitat for Humanity International in Georgia.
“That was the first time really getting to work and serve my community,” Samantha said. “So I always think of Habitat being the starting point for me working in non-profit work.”
The big city
Through AmeriCorps, Samantha moved to Los Angeles and served for two years as team leader for a City Year program, working to improve academic outcomes for at-risk middle school students.
For two years Samantha was development coordinator for the Pablove Foundation, a pediatric cancer non-profit that provides free photography and gallery showings in seven sites throughout the country.
At the Children’s Institute, a Los Angeles mental health non-profit, Samantha was responsible for the procurement and distribution of $800,000 yearly in in-kind donations to approximately 28,000 client families.
Let’s just say that Samantha saw Los Angeles in a different light than some.
“Obviously the traffic is horrible, and there’s a lot of smog, a lot of congestion,” she admits. “But I found the people that are born and raised in LA really have a lot of pride in their city, and will always have pride in their city. And those are a lot of the people I interacted with on the daily.”
Then there’s the 365 sunshine–and the diversity.
“When friends would come to visit I would say, ‘Spin the globe, where do you want to go eat?’ I can’t think of a culture that I didn’t see [in LA],” Samantha explained. “I felt like I learned a lot about the world living there. Even though it’s still in California, I felt I was in a different part of the world all the time.”
Yet Samantha felt the need to improve her work/life balance, and started looking north to where the grass-and the forests-are greener.
Samantha – who she is now
In August we were delighted to welcome Samantha to the ReStore team as procurement director. She has a lot on her plate, figuratively speaking. She oversees all business donations and the donation pickup department. Literally, you’ll find Samantha exploring the many Portland food options, and more particularly, indulging her penchant for Asian fare-kimchi being her absolute favorite. (OK, from her perspective, it’s a necessity.) She’s also started adventuring the many nearby trails and waterfalls with her dog, Pickles, a little terrier mix, in tow. (” I had a DNA test done and he’s a surprisingly just a bunch of lap dogs combined into one dog. Mostly maltese, and poodle and miniature pinscher. He’s a cool dude, though.”)
We hope you’ll get a chance to meet Samantha. If you do, here are a few things that make her tick:
-She’s listening to folk: Sara Varela, Joshua Radin, Matt Costa and Johnnyswim
-Right next to that kimchi, you’ll probably find ramen.
-Netflix pic: She’s deep into documentaries.
-Likes: psychoanalyzing friends (“I love hearing what makes people them!”)
-Wants to improve her cooking skills. (“I bought a cast iron skillet.”)
-Skip the microwave, she prefers her food cold. All of it. (Yes, that includes soup.)
But maybe the single most important thing to know about Samantha is that she’s a “jump-in person.”
“I am someone who will always jump in and be willing to help,” she said. “No task is too small or insignificant for me to help out.”
We’re delighted she’s one of us now. Welcome to the ReStore, Samantha.
Become a business donor partner. Donation pickups are free!
Contact Samantha at businessrelations@pdxrestore.org.
