Edgar “Ned” Helms, former founder and director of the New Hampshire Institute for Health Policy and Practice at the University of New Hampshire and former project director for the New Hampshire Citizens Health Initiative, has been elected to serve as board chair on the Goodwill Industries International board of directors. Helms is grandson of Goodwill® founder, Rev. Edgar J. Helms, a Methodist minister.
Helms has served on the board since 2016, including on numerous committees. He most recently served as chair of the board’s Strategic Issues Planning Committee.
Helms has an illustrious career spanning more than 30 years in New Hampshire health policy and politics. His experience in the health policy field includes serving as a legislative and administrative assistant for health policy within the U.S. Senate, as commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services for New Hampshire, as founder and president of a health policy consulting firm (Helms and Company), and as chief administrative officer of Blue Cross/Blue Shield of New Hampshire.
“Ned brings deep experience, commitment and authority to the board chair role. He is a seasoned leader and deeply passionate about our mission.” said Steven C. Preston, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. “Ned also brings forward the convictions of his grandfather, Rev. Edgar J. Helms, the founder of Goodwill. Dr. Helms’ timeless vision was not just to help people, but to help people reach their full potential through learning and employment. As the board chair, Ned will play an essential role as Goodwill continues to innovate and expand its essential role in preparing people for a changing workforce, for which his grandfather laid the groundwork.”
Helms has served on numerous organizations’ boards, including Goodwill of Northern New England; the Warren B. Rudman Center for Justice, Leadership and Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire School of Law; and the Endowment for Health. Helms also served on a healthcare study committee for the Obama Administration.
“Goodwill believes in a charity, not a chance. I’m thrilled to use my contributions and my talents in my position to serve an organization that my grandfather founded with the motto, ‘Don’t be satisfied until every person has the chance to reach their full potential through the power of work,'” said Helms. “The path that my grandfather walked on in Boston in 1902 is now as far reaching as South Korea, empowering millions of people each year to obtain skills training, education and a path toward economic mobility.”
Helms did his undergraduate work at Drew University in Madison, NJ and holds a Master of Arts in American government from the University of New Hampshire.
He lives in Concord, NH, with his family.
ABOUT GOODWILL INDUSTRIES INTERNATIONAL
Goodwill Industries International is a network of 156 community-based, autonomous organizations in the United States and Canada with a presence in 12 other countries. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit that helps people find employment, Goodwill is recognized with GuideStar’s highest rating, the Platinum Seal of Approval.
Local Goodwill organizations offer employment opportunities, job placement and training services, and other community-based programs, funded by selling donated clothing and household items in nearly 3,300 stores and at shopgoodwill.com®. Last year, more than 20 million people used computers and mobile devices to access Goodwill services, and more than one million people received in-person services.
For more information or to find a Goodwill location near you, visit goodwill.org. Follow us on Twitter: @GoodwillIntl and @GoodwillCapHill, and find us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube: GoodwillIntl. Register for our Legislative Action Center via advocate.goodwill.org.
