How a nonprofit powerhouse, community advocate, and history-making leader is shaping Fort Worth’s future—one initiative, one person, and one act of service at a time.
Shay Gipson’s leadership journey is marked by a powerful combination of heart, strategy, and measurable results. As Vice President of Community Engagement for Goodwill North Central Texas and the first woman of color to serve as president of the Junior League of Fort Worth, she has built a career centered on service—and proven that purpose-driven leadership can also deliver quantifiable outcomes.
“Leadership is about service,” Gipson says. “It’s about creating space for others to grow, shine, and lead—and ensuring that the work we do has real, lasting impact.”
Born and raised in Fort Worth, Gipson never considered leaving her hometown. “I love Fort Worth—the people, the community, the sense of pride we have in our city,” she says. “My family was here, my roots were here, and everything I loved was here.”
After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre with a minor in Business Management from Texas Wesleyan University, she started in retail management, honing her operational and leadership skills. But she wanted a career with deeper purpose, which led her to Goodwill North Central Texas.
“When I toured Goodwill, I knew this was where I was supposed to be,” she recalls. “I wanted to live a life of service—and Goodwill gave me the opportunity to do just that.”
In her 19-year tenure at Goodwill, Gipson has transformed how the organization engages its community. She oversees marketing, public relations, and advocacy initiatives that directly support Goodwill’s mission to remove barriers to employment. Under her leadership, community engagement has scaled significantly, helping the organization serve more than 20,000 individuals annually through job training, employment placement, and support services.
Her proudest achievement, Project Goodwill, is a signature fundraising event where designers repurpose donated items into high-fashion looks. What began as a small internal show now attracts more than 400 attendees each year, has raised nearly $300,000 in its first decade, and serves as an innovative platform to tell Goodwill’s story in a creative, memorable way.
“It’s more than a fashion show,” she says. “It’s about demonstrating transformation—taking something cast aside and turning it into something beautiful. That’s what Goodwill does for people every day.”
Her strategy is built on three pillars:
- Community-Centered Messaging: Positioning Goodwill as a partner in economic empowerment, not just a thrift store.
- Partnership Development: Building collaborations with civic leaders, corporate sponsors, and creative professionals to amplify impact.
Data-Driven Storytelling: Using measurable outcomes to demonstrate success and secure new funding streams.
To read the full story, click on the cover of the August 2025 issue
