Goodwill Industries, “Community Leader of the Year

Goodwill Honors LB City Prosecutor Doug Haubert & Dr. Felton Williams
Outstanding Goodwill Participants and Partners Also Recognized at
Annual Awards Event Hosted by The WAVE’s Pat Prescott

By Paulette Thornton |562.435.3411, ext. 267 | pthornton@goodwillsolac.org

Long Beach, CA—March 6, 2018—Long Beach City Prosecutor Doug Haubert and Dr. Felton
Williams of the Long Beach Unified School District Board were honored at Goodwill’s ―Celebrate the
Power of Work‖ Awards Dinner on February 28. The awards event is held annually to honor exceptional
community leaders as well as inspirational individuals who’ve transformed their lives through job
programs offered by Goodwill, Serving the People of Southern Los Angeles County (SOLAC).
Popular radio personality Pat Prescott of 94.7 The WAVE hosted the awards dinner, which was
held at the Pacific Ballroom at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center. The event also
recognized Goodwill’s Employer of the Year and Community Partner of the Year for their role in providing
job opportunities to Goodwill’s job program participants.

Doug Haubert received the 2018 Community Leader of the Year award for his leadership in
authoring a series of results driven initiatives that have made Long Beach safer while improving the city’s
recidivism and school truancy rates. Soon after winning the 2010 election for Long Beach City
Prosecutor, Haubert started the city’s Gang Prevention Strategy, a three-part approach to reducing gang
violence that was recognized by Neighborhoods USA as one of America’s Best Neighborhood Programs.
He also created the Parent Accountability and Chronic Truancy Program, a partnership between the
school district, the police department and the City Prosecutor’s Office to improve graduation rates and
keep parents engaged in their children’s education. Doug is also recognized as a national leader in court
diversion programs through his recently launched pilot program – ―Promising Adults, Tomorrow’s Hope‖
or PATH – to direct nonviolent, first-time offenders into jobs and work-readiness programs.

Dr. Felton Williams, who was presented with the 2018 Catalyst of the Year award, is a trailblazing
board member for the Long Beach Unified School District, serving four terms as its president. While
serving on the District’s board, Dr. Williams led a series of strategic initiatives that ultimately enabled
students to succeed in school while increasing high school graduation and college entrance rates. This is
a particularly remarkable feat, given that Long Beach is one of the most diverse cities in the nation. Its
population of 74,000 students speaks dozens of languages at home, and about 70% of students receive
free and reduced-price meals. Despite these challenges, Dr. Williams created far reaching programs that
helped level the playing field for all students.

The Employer of the Year award was presented to Arconic, the premier designer and
manufacturer of aerospace and industrial fasteners and tools. Arconic received its award for employing
participants of Goodwill’s Supported Employment Program that provides job opportunities to those with
developmental and physical disabilities. Since creating this partnership in 2014, the Goodwill SOLAC
workforce at Arconic’s Carson facility has grown from a group of four individuals with one team leader to
currently two groups of four individuals, each with a team leader.

The Community Partner of the Year award was presented to the Department of Public Social
Services (DPSS) for referring more than 100 of Goodwill’s participants to its Certified Nurse Assistant and
Loss Prevention Training Programs. DPSS established its partnership with Goodwill SOLAC in 2015
based on their joint mission of helping individuals become employed and ultimately lead economically
self-sufficient lives.

Three participants of Goodwill’s job programs were honored at the awards event for leading
successful careers. These award recipients are: Damon Richardson, Graduate of the Year; Anthony
Batten, Achiever of the Year; and Krystal Urzua, Graduate Employee of the Year.
Damon Richardson, a graduate of Goodwill’s Loss Prevention Training Program, is receiving high
performance marks as a campus security officer for the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. Yet,
Richardson’s career track hasn’t always been so smooth. Several years ago, after losing his job as a
phone banker, he struggled to find work. Months passed without any job offers, so he went through his
savings. As a single father of twins with no means to support them, he ended up on General Relief. He
began to lose hope until a social worker told him about Goodwill’s Loss Prevention Training Program. He
eventually graduated at the top of his class and is now an active member of the training program’s alumni association.

Anthony Batten is a strong performing machine operator at Arconic, which enables him to use his
gift of focus and precision to sort and inspect up to 25,000 fasteners a day. It’s an important job, given
that these rivets and bolts are used for aircraft construction. However, before accepting his job at Arconic,
Batten spent two years unemployed after being laid off from a longtime customer service job. When he
visited the Harbor Regional Center, a local nonprofit that provides services to individuals with
developmental and physical disabilities, he was referred to Goodwill to assist him with employment
services. Within weeks, Goodwill helped Batten land a job with his current employer.

Krystal Urzua puts the needs of Goodwill first in her job as a compliance, risk and safety
manager. Whether it’s waking up at 3 am to answer a potential break-in call or responding to an in-store
emergency, Urzua is always at the ready to serve Goodwill. Since childhood, Krystal dreamed of working
in a job that helped protect others. Born to teenage parents, Krystal lived in poverty as a young child. She
worked hard in school, and ultimately earned a scholarship, becoming the first in her family to attend
college. Although she earned a bachelor’s degree, Krystal’s aspirations to start a career in law
enforcement stalled. She lacked the full slate of qualifications to enter the career field. That all changed
after she learned about Goodwill’s Loss Prevention Training Program.

The awards event received a wide range of sponsorship support from the local business and civic
community. The event’s Diamond Sponsors were Frank and Lisa Chapman, and the Gold Sponsors were
Executive Control Insurance Services and the Long Beach Water Department.

Goodwill SOLAC is a nonprofit organization that transforms donated goods into job training,
education and placement services for individuals with barriers to employment. Goodwill SOLAC serves 22
cities and communities throughout Southern Los Angeles County. Goodwill SOLAC’s main facility—
located at 800 W. Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach—houses its administrative offices, training
programs, processing operations, transportation fleet, Links Sign Language & Interpreting Services, a
retail store and its e-commerce operations. To learn more about Goodwill career services or to find your
nearest Goodwill store or donation center, visit www.ThinkGood.org.