Goodwill Manasota director of veterans services C.J. Bannister was recently named the 2018 Public Citizen of the Year by the Sarasota and Manatee county unit of the National Association of Social Workers' Florida chapter. The award honored Bannister for her work on behalf of veterans in the area. Bannister, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, was hired in September 2014 by Goodwill. While overseeing the organization’s Veterans Services Program, she has helped to lower barriers to employment and provide opportunities for higher-paying positions for veterans and their families.