Darrin Goss – 2014 People to Watch

Occupation: President/CEO, Capital Area United Way
Hometown: Charleston, S.C.
Age: 43

Once Darrin Goss was named the president and CEO of Capital Area United Way, the Baton Rouge transplant fast realized his toughest challenge: addressing the city’s poverty.

“For our 10-parish area, one out of every four children between the ages of 0 and 5 live in poverty,” he says. “It creates a long-term economic problem for our community and just creates a cycle of poverty and challenges. The opportunity for Capital Area United Way is that there are so many ways we can address those root causes and stop these cycles of poverty and really start to move the needle.”

In October 2013, Goss was selected and approved to serve on the National Professional Council of United Ways. Locally, he has to manage the many relationships and personalities he’s encountering in his new role.

“A big part in the long term will be how we manage the relationships and expectations for people who want to do good but have different ways of getting there,” he says. “The biggest thing is how do we not leave behind the people we are trying to serve, because they’ve got to be a part of that dialogue as well.”

“My wife, Vee. She inspires me. I don’t know another person like her in the world.”

Read more about Goss and United Way at cauw.org.