Industry Leadership Will Advance Opportunities for the Next Generation of Talent
January 30, 2019 (New York, NY) – NAF is excited to announce the appointment of Lenovo’s President of North America, Matthew Zielinski, to its Board of Directors. On the NAF Board, Zielinski, will join an esteemed group of corporate, education, and community leaders dedicated to ensuring that high school students are college, career, and future ready.
Sandy Weill, NAF’s founder and board chairman, said, “We are delighted to welcome Matt to NAF’s Board of Directors and have a deep appreciation of his rich industry experience and unique perspective. Lenovo has been a dynamic partner for years and has worked tirelessly to create opportunities and improve outcomes for our future leaders. The passion, energy, and commitment that Matt offers will be invaluable to our students, alumni, and supporters in this important work.”
As Lenovo’s President of North America, Zielinski is responsible for North America sales, daily operations, growth and profitability of the region — encompassing the United States and Canada. Prior to assuming this position in February 2018, Zielinski was the Corporate Vice President and General Manager, head of worldwide OEM sales at AMD. He was responsible for leading AMD’s end-to-end efforts for all strategic OEMs, as well as global responsibility for end-user sales through all consumer and commercial routes to market.
Matt Zielinski said, “It is my honor to join NAF’s Board of Directors with such esteemed peers in the industry and further NAF’s mission by helping high school students explore various learning opportunities. From teaching them how to code to offering internships at Lenovo, we are enabling NAF students to reach their full potential. I am excited about the expansion of this mission as I join the NAF board to make a greater impact.”
NAF and Lenovo’s partnership began in 2014 when they established the Lenovo Scholar Network, in conjunction with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) App Inventor, a project within the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL), to encourage greater interest among high school students in STEM subjects. The program ensures that students develop the essential technological and entrepreneurial skills they will need to pursue careers in computer science, programming, and engineering, and offers them the opportunity to participate in a mobile app development program. Their innovative projects propose solutions to real-world scenarios – ranging from health and wellness tips to organizational tools to interactive learning games.
In its first year, 10 NAF IT academies were invited to participate, with a goal of reaching 250 students, and surpassed its goal by serving more than 400 students nationwide. Now in its fifth year, the Lenovo Scholar Network serves nearly 6,000 students in all NAF academy themes – including finance, hospitality & tourism, information technology, engineering, and health sciences.
Lenovo remains invested in sharing their time and talent with students through their participation in activities such as “Lenovo in the Classroom Day,” where employees visit NAF academies both virtually and in person to talk about the importance of STEM skills and careers and lead work-based learning activities. Additionally, Lenovo has hosted approximately 100 NAF student interns over the last few years at their North Carolina headquarters.
Together, NAF and Lenovo, are driven by a shared commitment to developing a stronger workforce and providing students from all backgrounds with direct access to opportunity.
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About NAF:
NAF is a national network of education, business, and community leaders who work together to ensure that high school students are college, career, and future ready.
NAF works with high need communities to transform the high school experience through an educational design that includes industry-specific curricula, work-based learning experiences, and relationships with business professionals, culminating in a paid internship. NAF academies fit within and enhance school systems, allowing NAF to become an integral part of a plan for higher achievement at a low cost. NAF academies focus on one of five career themes: finance, hospitality & tourism, information technology, engineering, and health sciences. During the 2018-19 school year, over 100,000 students attended 617 NAF academies across 35 states, including DC and the US Virgin Islands. In 2018, NAF academies reported 99% of seniors graduated with 87% of graduates planning to go to college. For more information, please visit: https://naf.org/
About Lenovo:
Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is a US$45 billion Fortune Global 500 company and a global technology leader in driving Intelligent Transformation through smart devices and infrastructure that create the best user experience. Lenovo manufactures one of the world’s widest portfolio of connected products, including smartphones (Motorola), tablets, PCs (ThinkPad, Yoga, Lenovo Legion) and workstations as well as AR/VR devices and smart home/office solutions. Lenovo’s data center solutions (ThinkSystem, ThinkAgile) are creating the capacity and computing power for the connections that are changing business and society. Lenovo works to inspire the difference in everyone and build a smarter future where everyone thrives. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Weibo, read about the latest news via our Storyhub, or visit our website at http://www. lenovo.com.