William M. Goodwin previously served in a range of executive roles at Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc., including controller, secretary-treasurer, chief financial officer and vice president. He was responsible for the awarding of grants totaling in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Goodwin retired in 2007 as vice president of community development. An avid philanthropist and community volunteer, Goodwin was one of the founders of the Indiana Sports Corp., an organization that has brought hundreds of national amateur athletic events to Indianapolis. He also served as treasurer of the organization and as treasurer of the National Sports Festival and the Pan-American Games when the latter came to Indianapolis.

Before his time with Lilly Endowment, Goodwin worked as an auditor with major client responsibilities at Ernst and Young, and served as a liaison officer for the U.S. Army Intelligence and Counterintelligence School in Berchtesgaden, Germany. A 1961 graduate of IU, Goodwin earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in German and later earned his M.B.A. from the Kelley School of Business.