Tonya is a seasoned retail professional with over 25 years in progressive retail management with retailers such as Sara Lee Direct, Upton’s and Belk. She also has over 16 years of nonprofit experience stemming from her work at Goodwill Industries and the Gaston County YMCA.
Tonya began her career with Goodwill in 1995 as a Merchandising Specialist, then was promoted to the Director of Retail Operations. In this position she was responsible for store site selection and new store builds along with general operational support for the division. In 2003, she decided to pursue and strengthen her entrepreneurial skills by creating and opening a specialty store. Tonya returned to Goodwill in 2008 as a District Manager and was later promoted to Vice President, Store Operations. Today, she serves as the Vice President of Donated Goods Retail. In this position she is responsible for all aspects of the operations of 26 retail stores, a growing e-commerce department and donation acquisition. She was responsible for the startup of the School of Retail in 2015, which includes five days of training for all new Retail employees. Her passion lies in the development and training of staff, and she has been instrumental in building bench strength within the Business Enterprise Division resulting in numerous promotions across the organization.
In addition to Tonya’s wealth of professional knowledge and experience she earned a Bachelor’s of Science from Appalachian State University. She also participated and completed the Goodwill Industries International Senior Leadership Program in May 2015 and is a 2016 graduate of the Leadership Charlotte program.
