Land of Lincoln Goodwill CEO Resigns amid Controversy

By Benjamin Cox on July 19, 2019 at 9:38am

WICS Newschannel 20 reported that Land of Lincoln Goodwill CEO Sharon Durbin has submitted her letter of resignation effectively immediately to the Board of Directors yesterday evening.

Durbin was immediately replaced by current Vice President of Finance Ron Culves as the organization’s interim CEO. The resignation came a day after Land of Lincoln Goodwill reversed its decision to lay off workers with disabilities. Durbin’s resignation comes on the heels of pressure from Illinois Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin asking for the organization to take a change in leadership and to turn over documents and correspondence on the layoff decision to the senator’s offices for further investigation.

In a letter sent by Goodwill Industries to all media outlets this morning, Durbin was thanked for work of 13 years and said they would stay committed to their mission of serving their nearly 400 employees that consist of veterans, individuals with disabilities, at-risk youth, ex-offenders, and those seeking job training. The letter was issued shortly before 6PM yesterday evening.

Despite Durbin’s resignation, Illinois State Senator Andy Manar says he’s going to continue an investigation into the organization’s finances, according to a report from the State Journal Register. Land of Lincoln Goodwill said in their letter concerning Durbin’s resignation that they would begin looking for her permanent replacement immediately.