Clearwater anti-poverty nonprofit appoints two new board members

Clearwater-based Eckerd Connects says it appointed two new board members: David Bennett of Washington, D.C., and Michael Goodwin of Scottsdale, Arizona.

The new board members join Eckerd Connects and its new chairman, Eric Beck, the SVP of Marsh McLennan Agency. The updated board will help Eckerd Connects in its nonprofit fight against poverty, the organization says.

Eckerd Connects operates 160 programs including Job Corps, workforce development, child welfare and juvenile justice services across 19 states. Beck says Eckerd continues to expand into new services and other states.

Goodwin serves on the board of Burlington Stores Inc., a publicly traded retailer of branded apparel products in the United States with revenues of $8.7 billion, according to Eckerd Connects. He also serves on the board of Telecare Corp., a family-owned business in the health care sector specializing in mental illness care in five states. Goodwin retired from PetSmart in 2023 after nine years as SVP and chief information technology officer. Goodwin also has executive experience at Hallmark Cards.

He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, and received a Master of Business Administration from the University of Kansas.

Bennett serves as the SVP for development and alumni relations at Howard University. Bennett earned an executive MBA from Howard University and a bachelor's degree in foreign affairs from the University of Virginia.

Each member will serve a three-year term.

Eckerd Connects was founded in 1968 by Jack and Ruth Eckerd with the belief that everyone deserves the opportunity to succeed. The nonprofit has connected about 316,000 people to the help they need through programs in Job Corps, workforce development, juvenile justice, and family and children services.