Guest Profile

Steve Preston

Steve Preston is the president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International (GII). Prior to joining GII, Preston held leadership positions in the public and private sectors as an executive. He served as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and as the Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, leading both federal agencies during times of national crisis. Preston  orchestrated successful turnarounds as the CEO of two private corporations, Oakleaf Global Holdings and Livingston International. He was also the CFO of two Fortune 500 companies — Waste Management and ServiceMaster — during times of significant change and restructuring for each company. Preston graduated with highest distinction from Northwestern University and holds an MBA from The University of Chicago.

Preston has appeared on ABC’s “Pandemic,” Bloomberg TV, Cheddar, CNBC, C-SPAN, FOX News and FOX Business’ “Varney & Co.” and has been featured in the Associated Press, Forbes, Inc., and in The Wall Street Journal. Preston has appeared on numerous radio shows, podcasts and YouTube series, including AEI’s Hardly Working, Working Nation, World at Work and Indeed’s Here to Help. Preston is a sought-after speaker on workforce development and skills for the future and has served as a keynote speaker for the U.S. Chamber Foundation’s Corporate Citizenship Conference: Business Solves, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Talent Forward Conference, the Small Business Administration’s National Small Business Week, and the Tugboat Institute Summit.

Preston graduated with highest distinction from Northwestern University and holds an MBA from The University of Chicago.