Connie Lanzl
Greenville, S.C. [June 3, 2020] – Junior Achievement of Upstate South Carolina announced that its president, Connie Lanzl, is retiring from the organization after leading its development over the past ten years as a statewide authority on career readiness and workforce development issues. Over the course of her time as president, Lanzl has continually advanced JAUSC’s relationships, resources and initiatives focused on helping mentor and educate Upstate youth.
A fixture in Upstate educational and nonprofit circles, Lanzl has been a very visible and active advocate for life and business skills-based curriculum development, creating innovative public private partnerships that have benefitted the Upstate’s educational and economic development advancements. Through her efforts, more than 80,000 students across 5 Upstate South Carolina counties have learned the communications, entrepreneurial and financial literacy skills necessary to succeed in business and in life.
Under her leadership, JAUSC was also awarded the Peak Performance Team Award by Junior Achievement USA in honor of the chapter’s superior performance in sustaining financial and operational soundness while maintaining significant growth in students reached and volunteer contact hours delivered. JAUSC also earned a 4-star rating from Junior Achievement USA highlighting its focus on creating deep impact programming that meets the needs of its local school districts, employers and community organizations.
Having worked in the education and nonprofit arena for the last 45 years, Lanzl now looks forward to spending more time with the people and passions that she loves: visiting family (including six grandchildren), supporting community organizations (including the Greenville Rotary Club and Greenville Women Giving), participating in the arts (including Vocal Matrix Chorus and theater), getting more exercise (including tennis and golf) and traveling throughout the world.
“My ten years at Junior Achievement of Upstate South Carolina have been among the happiest and most rewarding of my career,” Lanzl noted. “The opportunity to know that you have had an impact on the future of children and the area you call home is an amazing gift for which I am profoundly grateful. I am particularly thankful for the team we’ve created, the close working partnerships we’ve formed with visionary school districts and donors and for the amazing JA volunteers who make all our good work possible. While I will be stepping away from the day-to-day work, I will remain a passionate supporter of JA and its mission, and I look forward to the bright future of the organization.”
Upon first considering her retirement, Lanzl and JAUSC Board Chairman Gary Bernardez thought through succession planning, determining that a merger with Junior Achievement of Greater South Carolina, which already operated in the Low Country and Midlands, would be the best option for both organizations in their mission to assist the youth of South Carolina to own their economic success and be prepared for the workforce of the future. This consolidation was announced in April and will become effective July 1, at which point, current JA of Greater S.C. President Casey Pash will serve as president and chief executive officer of the combined organization, which will maintain a presence in each of the three regions.
“Connie is not only a well-respected and highly effective leader, but someone who thinks ahead and outside of the box,” said Bernardez. “She has accomplished so much over the course of her career, it would be difficult to point to only a few examples, but, while we will miss Connie’s vision and reassuring hand in daily matters, we know that her efforts have put our organization, our state and our children on the best possible path toward success. We all owe her a debt of gratitude for her service.”
About Junior Achievement
Founded in 1919, Junior Achievement (JA) is the world's largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future and make smart academic and economic choices. JA programs are delivered by corporate and community volunteers, and provide relevant, hands-on experiences that give students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. Today, JA reaches more than 4.8 million students per year in 106 markets Across the United States, with an additional 5.2 million students in 100 other countries worldwide. In South Carolina, JA programs have impacted roughly 1.25 million youth over the past 50 years. For more information on Junior Achievement of Upstate South Carolina, please visit https://www.juniorachievement.org/web/ja-upstatesc/.
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