George Goehl has been a community organizer, strategist and trainer for nearly 20 years. His efforts have helped to craft city, state, and federal campaigns on issues that range from outlawing predatory lending, advancing immigration reform and preventing foreclosures. Since 2007, he has been the executive director of National People’s Action, a network of metropolitan and statewide membership organizations dedicated to advancing economic and racial justice in all aspects of society. The organization was founded nearly 40 years ago, and its work has helped to gain equity in work, housing, health, education, finance, and other systems central to the well-being of less advantaged American citizens.
Goehl began his career as the founding president of the Coalition of Low-Income and Homeless Citizens. In 1996, he began working with the National People’s Action, and designed a national campaign to pressure HUD to address fraud and abuse within the FHA home loan program. As a result of three years of work on the issue, the Credit Watch Program was established to hold lenders accountable for excessive defaults on FHA-insured mortgages. Goehl then became an organizing director and supervised an effort that forced statewide anti-predatory lending regulations and legislation in Illinois. Goehl began working as a strategist and field organizer with another organization, called the Center for Community Change in 2004. His work there included the launch of a national summit of immigrant and allied organizations from more than 30 states, and resulted in establishing the national “Stop the Raids” movement, in response to a wave of immigration raids that separated young children from their parents.
Several years later in 2007, George returned to the National People’s Action and became the executive director. Under Goehl’s leadership, the organization has been transformed and has significantly expanded its affiliate base.
Goehl is a lead organizer for “The 99% Spring” campaign, set to take place from April 9th-15th 2012. The website for the movement states, “Our country is at a crossroads. We have a choice to make. Greater wealth for a few or opportunity for many. Tax breaks for the richest or a fair shot for the rest of us. A government that can be bought by the highest bidder, or a democracy that is truly of the people, by the people, and for the people… We are the 99%. For the 100%. And this is our moment.”