NFTE – Thank you, high school teachers

I was honored to be asked to deliver the keynote speech at the NFTE DC Region’s 2010 VIP Luncheon at George Washington University.  NFTE is the “Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship.”   I’m on their advisory board for the DC region and I’ve also served as a judge for their business case competition finals for a few years when AOL was a major sponsor of the competition.

I was given a 12-minute slot to deliver the speech.  My primary focus was to thank the high school teachers (there were veteran NFTE teachers as well as the a new incoming class of teachers who are being trained this week).   Ironically, I also attended two high school reunions this month.  And, fortunately, a couple of our past teachers and coaches were at the reunion.   It was great to see them and thank them for the positive influence they made on our lives.

The focus of my remarks was about the importance of “giving back,” mentoring and community service.   I spoke of how I’ve been deeply influenced by two outstanding mentors, Ted Leonsis and Mario Morino (I’ve written about them many times in my blog postings).  But, in essence, these men were influenced by mentors in high school and college — then they went on build incredible careers — and they are now major philanthropists who have mentored and influenced many people.

I like to call it our “Pay It Forward” system.  Ted wrote eloquently in his book, “The Business of Happiness,” about being mentored by Father Durkin at Georgetown Univ.  Ted then mentored many of us at AOL — and, we, in turn are now mentoring many young men and women.  In effect, we’re passing it on from generation to generation.  It’s our way to pay back to those that taught and mentored us.

Mario is regarded our “Godfather of Philanthropy” for the greater DC region.  His wisdom as well as his Venture Philanthropy Partners (co-founded with Raul Fernandez and Mark Warner) has positively impacted the lives of tens of thousands of deserving youngsters in this region.

So, during yesterday’s speech, I focused on the impact that Ted and Mario had on my life — and how I’ve done my best to pass on their teachings and wisdom to the next generation — whether it’s the 25 plus youngsters I mentor through the many non-profits I work with or the the many wonderful undergrad and grad students I teach / advise at Georgetown University.

I thought I connected with the audience during the speech since I saw many nodding heads and smiles.  But, I know I really connected after I spoke with 15 – 20 of the guests at the end of the luncheon.  I spoke with students, teachers, sponsors, school administrators, board members, etc.   I walked out of there with a huge smile on my face –  primarily because we were able to thank the teachers for their inspiring work.  But, it was also great to make the connection with the many supporters of NFTE that know in our hearts that we’re helping make the difference in the lives of many deserving young men and women.  We are in effect helping create a level playing field.

I love the quote that one of my favorite writers, Thomas Friedman, stated about NFTE, “The President should vow to bring the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, or NFTE, to every low-income neighborhood in America.”   We are making a difference — and thanks to everyone that is associated with NFTE in helping make this happen.

Summer Updates

I haven’t blogged for a few weeks — wanted to take some time off — but I’m going to jump right back into it.   I’ve had several people email me to say they enjoy reading the blog on a regular basis.   Here’s a quick review of the past few weeks:

- Week of Jun 21 — flew back from Tokyo on Tue, Jun 22.  Wed, Jun 23 was quite a day, starting with the Asian Pacific Islander American Scholar Fund Summit at the Ronald Reagan Bldg.  I then jumped out in the early afternoon to head to the announcement of the new President’s Council on Physical Fitness, Sport and Nutrition.   The First Lady chaired the press conference and announced the new council members, including co-chairs Olympian Dominique Dawes and Saints QB Drew Brees.  Then, it was back to the Education Summit; then to Georgetown Univ to teach our Sports Leadership and Management class that evening.   I then headed to NY the following day for client meetings and then the 2010 NBA Draft — where we gleefully watched our Wizards select John Wall with the first, overall pick.

Week of Jun 28 — getting back into the routine after being out of the country for a couple of weeks … client meetings for JLynn Associates, teaching and advising at Georgetown Univ, working with non-profits, etc.  The most fun time I had this week was taking my mentees, Sally and Da-Zhi, to Six Flags Amusement Park (one of Sally’s b-day gifts).    The look of joy and happiness on a youngster’s face as they enjoy the day at an amusement park is simply priceless.   The week was capped by a couple of fantastic July 4th parties over the weekend.  Love celebrating the nation’s birthday in the nation’s capital.

Week of Jul 5 — the highlights of this week were the High School Sports Symposium we hosted at Georgetown Univ and our Zama American High School reunion over the weekend of Jul 9 – 11.  For the Sports Symposium, we hosted 75 high school students for a week of learning about the sports industry, which included visits and meetings with executives from the Washington Nationals, Washington Capitals and at Under Armour.  I was so impressed with the caliber of the high school students — a great group of young men and women.  As for the high school reunion, I attended 9th and 10th grade at Zama High School (suburb of Tokyo).   Camp Zama was a special place full of special people.  We hold a reunion every two years for everyone who attended this school – this year, we had a record turnout of over 300 people.  It was a special and memorable weekend.

Jul 12 — another good week of business, education and philanthropy.  Had a great time attending the Washington Kastles tennis match on Monday night.  The World Team Tennis is a blast – a mixture of good tennis, rock and pop music, cheerleaders and an overall fun, entertaining time.  Near the end of the week went back to one of my favorite cities in the world, Montreal.  Love that place.  It’s only a 75-minute flight from DC.  It feels like being in Europe.  Plus, the place is full of fun, cool and nice people.  I’m fortunate to have a number of outstanding friends there.

Jul 19 — the summer class we’re teaching, Sports Leadership and Management, has just a few weeks left.  It’s been a great class — we’re teaching it with the Washington Nationals as our team partner.  It’s been great to have execs from the various departments address our ever inquisitive students.   The other highlights of this week included taking my Mom to the residence of the Japanese Ambassador for a reception honoring three Ministers that will be taking new positions (what a beautiful residence – it’s majestic and serene).  And, lastly, the wedding and reception of my best friend’s niece, Becca Guthrie.  It was a great celebration in Charlottesville.   We are all so very happy for Becca and her husband, Ben.  Wish them the best of luck.