Goodwin made her first television appearance commercially in 1976 for such products as M&M's, Jello Pudding, and AT&T.
In 1981, she joined the First National Touring Company of Annie, where she played the role of Duffy.
After the tour closed in 1982, she went on to join the final Broadway cast of Annie playing the roles of Tessie and then Kate.
At the same time, she went on to work on an ABC Afterschool Special in 1981, then appeared in 1984's Growing Up on Broadway.
In the spring of 1985, Goodwin was cast as Tiffany Holloway on the NBC sitcom 227 as a series regular during the show's first season.