Rochelle Goodwin has had a 25-year career in public service, law, and policy. Beginning her legal career, she represented hundreds of clients in emergency cases related to housing, safety, and benefits across the state before later managing West Virginia’s state pro bono legal program. Beyond her time in the courtroom, Rochelle advanced programs in state government and worked with federally funded programs in Ohio, Georgia, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Rochelle also led the U.S. Senate work on economic development, education, and health policy. Pairing policy and research, she moved into senior leadership at WVU to advance its R1 and land grant goals managing strategic partnerships with government, business, and nonprofits. Later she served as vice president of the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute’s 1400-member team, which provides clinical care, world-first trials, and research innovations throughout the region. Goodwin also chaired the Federal Reserve’s Community Investment Council, which addresses factors such as data, disparities and emerging solutions that affect economy and policy matters on a local, regional, and national basis. As an inaugural planner of the Focus Forward Conference nine years ago, Rochelle continued this work and other strategic initiatives in 2024 when she joined the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, the sponsoring organization for Focus Forward.
