The East Lake Foundation today announced that Lawrence Schall, JD, Ed.D, President of Atlanta’s Oglethorpe University, has been named Chairman of the Foundation’s Board of Directors. Dr. Schall, who joins the Foundation’s thirteen-member Board, will serve a two-year term. He replaces interim Chair Lillian Giornelli, who remains on the Board as Vice Chair and head of the Foundation’s fundraising committee.
In accepting the appointment, Schall said, “The East Lake Foundation has accomplished tremendous work since its founding in 1995. Oglethorpe University shares the Foundation’s commitment to education and has been a proud partner of the Foundation since 2006, through active involvement with Drew Charter School. The future of our city and our country depend on a collective commitment to provide high-quality public education to all citizens, and Drew is an example of what is possible. I look forward to serving on the Board as this outstanding organization expands its impact in Atlanta and beyond.”
Among the Board’s priorities, Schall noted, are building both local and national recognition for the Foundation’s work in sustaining the revitalization of Atlanta’s East Lake community through strong corporate, philanthropic and neighborhood support, along with the significant financial impact of the annual TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, one of Atlanta’s leading non-profit fundraising events. The East Lake model is proving to be an effective model for community redevelopment around the U.S. Schall will work with the East Lake Foundation’s sister organization, Purpose Built Communities, to help replicate East Lake’s success across the country. Additionally, as Charles R. Drew Charter School opens its Senior Academy in 2013, Schall and his colleagues will focus on strengthening partnerships and sharing best practices with other Atlanta Public Schools in the Southeast Atlanta cluster.
Schall was named President of Oglethorpe University in 2005. Under his leadership, the University has seen a dramatic rise in enrollment and philanthropic giving. In 2007, Oglethorpe University opened the Center for Civic Engagement, connecting its students to the city of Atlanta and beyond in volunteer, curricular, civic and cultural projects. A native of Wilmington, DE, Schall graduated with honors from Swarthmore College and earned his Juris Doctor and Doctorate of Education degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. Schall currently also serves on the boards of the Council on International Cultural Exchange (CIEE), the Atlanta Local Education Fund, the Lovett School, and Project GRAD.
