Goodwill Gridiron Halloween Party

Lisa Rusyniak, 47, wasn’t exactly known for her fashionable style at work, where she is the president/CEO of Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake. There’s a reason. “I wear very conservative business attire, which is really important because of what I do. We have 6,000 people who are coming into our building every year to get job training and services, learning how to interview and be professional,” she said. That was something the Ellicott City resident said she learned early on from her single working mom, who taught her to look polished and professional — so much so that early in Rusyniak’s career, they unknowingly bought the same suit. Despite all her protestation that her style isn’t very exciting, Rusyniak’s costume at this year’s Goodwill fundraiser showed that wasn’t quite the case. Going with the 1980s theme chosen by the Goodwill staff, Rusyniak decided to dress as Madonna “without the blonde hair.” Although she did find a few Madonna-ish embellishments online, Rusyniak raided her closet for all the main pieces. Seems there’s a little “Material Girl” inside this polished professional. HER FASHION FAVES: “I love leather jackets. I think I have six of them in different colors. Because they’re easy and I’m always cold. … I love dresses. I have a dress that is absolutely my favorite. I just wore it to an annual International Goodwill awards dinner. It’s an Adrianna Papell shutter pleat, off-the-shoulder cocktail dress.”