Many students may not know Vice President and General Counsel Courtney Goddard but she has made an impact on Park University.

Unless you have been to her office, which is located deep in the commercial underground, or you have needed some legal advise, you are likely to be unaware of the success she has had not only at Park University but also in the Kansas City Area.

Goddard obtained her bachelor’s in criminology from Florida State University and continued her education at the University of Missouri – Columbia, where she received her law degree.

She was very much involved in school activities including school politics, in which she had a passion for both law and education.

Working in higher education law just seemed like a natural fit to Goddard.

After law school Goddard worked for Hush Blackwell and Sanders where she covered many ends of the law but one thing that she found “awesome and really enjoyable,” was representing K-12 school districts and helping maintain their accreditation.

Goddard was introduced to Park University while working for Hush Blackwell and Sander and eventually she applied for a position at the university.

“It was very difficult to get into higher education law,” Goddard said, “There were a lot of applicants.”

But because of her abundant experience, Goddard was the perfect candidate for Park University.

“You are never going to get an opportunity that you don’t create for yourself,” she said. “You have to do work that you love.”

Goddard admits that she could have taken other paths and made more money but those options were not where her passion lay.

“I think I am successful at what I do because I love what I do,” she said.

The opportunity at Park has allowed her to live a more full life.

“At a large firm, work never ends, all you do is work,” she said. “I do think you can have too much money and after a certain point I wasn’t for sale.”

Not all work in higher educational law is easy for Goddard. Some of the toughest cases are employment cases.

“Employment cases are difficult,” she said. “I do not love that aspect. It is hard to be a part of that.”

Student expulsions are hard for Goddard to work as well, as she would like to see every student succeed but that is not always the case.

Even though Goddard may not have the same relationship with students that a professor may have, she is working every single day for Park students.

As you enter her office, you can’t help but notice the large wooden plaques placed along the floor.

Through all of her hard work, Goddard has been given numerous awards within the past couple of years, including 2014 NextGen Leaders class by the Kansas City Business Journal as well as 2015 KC Business’s Influential Women by KC Business Magazine.

According to Kansas City Business Journal, “There is a class of up-and-coming business leaders that can help their business adapt to the ever changing landscape.”

In the eight years that Goddard has been at Park University, she said she has definitely seen change and helped the university adapt to those changes.

“I don’t think this would have happened if I stayed at a large firm,” Goddard said.

Through the growth of Park, Goddard says the quality of education has not changed, service to students is first and everything else is second. She admits that right now is an exciting time at Park and she hopes to carry her career out here for the next 25 years.

“I really believe if you stay focused on what you’re passionate about, it will happen,” she said.