Helene Lollis Receives Highest Honors from Junior Achievement USA

ATLANTA –Helene Lollis, president of Pathbuilders, Inc. and chair of the Junior Achievement of Georgia (JA) Board of Directors, was recognized by Junior Achievement USA with the Gold Leadership Award. This honor is given to outstanding individuals who exemplify the ideals of creativity, effectiveness and a deep commitment to the future of our nation’s youth.

“The accomplishments of the Junior Achievement organization and all its myriad programs play such an important role with today’s students,” said Lollis. “I have had the true pleasure of working with JA for many years and been inspired by the staff, volunteers and donors who work tirelessly to prepare young people for the world ahead. Receiving the Gold Leadership Award is a great honor, but it’s also a motivator to continue investing in their lives and future successes.”

Lollis became acquainted with JA as a teenager when she participated in the JA Company Program. As an adult, she has participated in various aspects of JA with increasing responsibility. In 2007, Lollis played an integral role as a lead volunteer in the launch of the capstone program, JA Fellows. Through this role, she provided valuable guidance in the program’s structure to ensure it delivered the highest impact for all students involved. Soon after she joined the JA of Georgia Board of Directors and in 2013 she transitioned to the role of Chair.

Lollis attained this position during a highly demanding and fluid time for JA of Georgia as the organization was set to launch a 50,000-square foot, state-of-the-art facility, Junior Achievement’s Chick-fil-A Foundation Discovery Center, which houses JA BizTown and JA Finance Park. Her attention to detail and strategic mindset played a heavy hand in the success of these programs, which recruited more than 150 companies and organizations to volunteer with the programs during the inaugural year, 46 percent of which were new partners to JA. Through Lollis’ dedication to continue to build JA’s awareness among the community JA was able to partner with more than 9,000 volunteers while maintaining success within the traditional JA programs.

“In a very real way, Helene directly contributes to the future success of Georgia’s children,” said Jack Harris, president and CEO of Junior Achievement of Georgia. “Helene is a visionary with an eye for detail. She helped to steer JA of Georgia as we have strengthened the link between JA in-class programs and deeper, experiential opportunities. Like JA, Helene remains committed to providing transformative learning experiences that develop a generation of young people who are prepared to achieve success. Under her leadership we have grown to serve 164,000 students and we are proud to recognize Helene for her dedication to our organization and the Atlanta community.”

Lollis’ company, Pathbuilders, is an organization that partners with clients to develop top-tier talent through mentoring and leadership development, with special expertise in developing high-potential women. Sheguides strategic direction and program development, provides high-level partnership with clients, and represents Pathbuilders in the community. She is frequently invited to speak on the topics of mentoring, women in the workplace and career planning, and her passion in the professional world is only match by her extensive civic involvement.

The Gold Leadership Awards have been given since 1978, with over 270 outstanding volunteers from across the nation receiving this honor. As part of the recognition, Lollis and 12 other individuals were honored at a reception at NASDAQ in New York City. To find out more about JA of Georgia visit, www.georgia.ja.org.

About Pathbuilders, Inc.

Celebrating its 20th year, Pathbuilders transforms top talent into high-impact leaders who move business forward. Through customized programming, Pathbuilders leverages a model that effectively combines mentoring, educational workshops and interactive peer exchange to accelerate the career growth of individuals and directly contribute to the bottom-line success of client organizations. Pathbuilders has worked with nearly 4,000 professionals from more than 400 client organizations, including Fortune 500 companies, colleges and universities, and government agencies. More information can be found at www.Pathbuilders.com on LinkedIn and Twitter @Pathbuilders.

About Junior Achievement of Georgia

Junior Achievement (JA) of Georgia is dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make educated academic and economic choices. JA programs are delivered by corporate and community volunteers, and provides relevant, hands-on experiences to students from kindergarten through high school. JA of Georgia offers multiple programs, including in-class programs, JAMS and JA Fellows all of which focus on entrepreneurship, personal financial literacy and workforce readiness. During the 2013/2014 school year, JA of Georgia served 164,000 students statewide through six district offices located in Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Dalton, Gainesville and Savannah. For more information, visit www.georgia.ja.org.