As the Executive Director for the Wescom Foundation, Christopher Goett provides and manages the strategic direction for all Foundation processes involving grantmaking, development, board governance, and community impact programs supporting the members and communities that Wescom Credit Union serves. Since joining Wescom in May 2019, he has developed the Foundation’s first three-year strategic plan, created rigorous financial and operational protocols, implemented a cloud-based constituent relationship management (CRM) system for grants management, and coordinated extensive governance trainings for the Foundation’s volunteer Board of Directors.
Throughout his career, Goett has been actively involved with community development and civic engagement in low-income neighborhoods across the country. Prior to joining Wescom, Goett served as Senior Program Officer at the California Community Foundation where he managed a $3.2MM annual grant portfolio supporting nonprofits advancing racial equity in both affordable housing and small business development. Prior to his work across California, Goett was based in Washington, DC where he worked consecutive stints at both the Council on Foundations as Managing Director for Community Philanthropy and as Director of Membership and Organizing with the National Community Reinvestment Coalition where he led a national Community Reinvestment Act campaign, working with credit unions, fighting the first bank merger post Dodd-Frank resulting in $190MM of additional philanthropic resources in seven markets across the United States.
He graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts from Villanova University and earned a Master of Social work degree with an emphasis on community organizing and economic development from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. He was named a 2014 PLACES Fellow with the Funders Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities and is currently enrolled in the Boston College Carroll School of Management Corporate Citizenship certification program.