An interview with Jimmy Lowe ‘04

Jimmy is the current chair of the Alumni Advisory Council (AAC) and has worked at Apple since 2014, first in management and commercial operations in Cupertino, CA, and most recently in business development, strategy, and Southeast field leadership, based in Atlanta, GA. Jimmy received his Bachelor of Arts from Brown University and his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Jimmy was a “lifer” at Paideia, and some of his best friendships were forged here and have lasted well into adulthood. Jimmy lives near Emory with his wife, Lynn, and his two sons, Peter (4) and Bobby (1).  

What is Alumni Service Day and why is it important to you? 

Alumni service day is actually a pretty new event. Back in 2021, I got a call from Paideia when The Feast got canceled due to Covid. The Alumni Office wanted to brainstorm what - if anything - we could do to bring alums together over Thanksgiving, since coming back to campus wasn’t an option. An (outdoor) event to do some good for others was the clear front-runner as soon as we started talking it through.

The Gateway Center also seemed like a perfect organization to support. The Gateway Center’s mission is to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring. They do this by providing those experiencing homelessness with so many things: shelter and housing placement, healthcare, job skills training, family and community engagement, adult education and financial literacy, and much more. 

With the colder weather coming, Gateway anticipated an influx of those who need help. They knew they wouldn’t be able to provide a bed for everyone who showed up at the Gateway that winter, but they did want to provide everyone who did with some basic necessities. They asked us to assemble all the sandwiches and hygiene kits that we were able to make. This seemed like a small gesture compared to the enormity of the work they do, but when the weather drops overnight, a full stomach can literally save a life. Hygiene can also be a significant cause of health problems for those experiencing homelessness, in addition to being a barrier to one’s ability to connect with others (including potential employers).

So we just did it! The first year was alums only and at Python Park, and we had to be scrappy. But we learned a lot, had a ton of fun, and delivered a bunch of supplies to some folks who really needed them.

For the next two Service Days, we’ve continued to support the Gateway Center, and we’ve been able to bring Service Day to campus, which makes it even more special. Anytime we can get alums on campus, in classrooms, to engage with students and faculty, it strengthens our ties between alumni and the current school. I can’t think of a better reason or cause to get alums back to campus than this.

Through this work, we’ve also gotten to know Natalie Rogovin, the Director of Service Learning, who has been an enormous help coordinating with the classrooms that participate. We also want to make sure what we’re doing as alums supports the broader service programs and mission of the school, so having Natalie’s help and partnership has been huge.

What role did service play in your Paideia experience?

Paideia gave me opportunities to do volunteer work at every stage - Elementary, Jr. High, and High School. That got me outside of the four walls of the school and exposed me to some amazing people and organizations like Hands on Atlanta and Project Open Hand. In terms of the role it played in my Paideia experience, I’d say it gave me an important perspective.

I feel really fortunate to have gone to Paideia, and it’s important to note that I started at Paideia as a three-year-old in half day. If you asked my mother, I’m sure she’d say I was a wonderful 3 year old… but I think it’s safe to say I didn’t exactly wind up at a place as special as Paideia by my own doing. There was a ton of luck and circumstance involved. Getting to know organizations outside of the school that do important work for people who had a much rougher go in life was definitely an important part of my Paideia experience.  I’m glad there are ways to keep that going with the school as an alum, too.

How and when did you get involved with The Gateway Center?

I learned about Gateway shortly after I moved back to Atlanta in late 2018. I got an email - from a Paideia parent, Mark Holzberg - who was doing some fundraising for Gateway. His email included a video about Gateway (the same video we show to the participating classrooms each year before Service Day). After watching it, I knew it was an organization I didn’t just want to donate to, but I wanted to get involved with in some way. Over the past few years we’ve gotten to do some cool stuff together, volunteering on site and also refreshing the computers in their career center through my work. This year I also joined Gateway’s Advisory Council. In my very short time with that group, I’ve learned a ton that I didn’t know before about homelessness and affordable housing.

What advice would you give to current students or recent graduates who want to incorporate sustainable service into their life? 

Whether it involves Paideia or not, when you find a cause or an organization that fires you up, get plugged in and ask what you can do to help. Of course, life can get busy, but the work you do doesn’t just have to be what you do for a living. And doing things for others who you may not know personally - but who are still an important part of the community - can be a major source of joy and fulfillment.

What other events does the AAC organize to involve alumni in the community? 

You can always check out the calendar of events for the entire year on our website paideiaschool.org/alumni. Coming up is a collaboration between the Paideia Entrepreneur's Network (PEN) and the PYPline alumni networking group. Save the date for Thursday, March 14th from 6:30-8:30pm in the theater lobby and theater for drinks, snacks and a great discussion moderated by alumni parent, Michael Schulder. All alumni, current parents and alumni parents are welcome! 

Our annual Alumni Reunion Weekend happens on campus Friday, April 12th to Sunday, April 14th. We will also be hosting a special travel reunion on May 2nd through May 4th in New York City! Tom Taylor, Jojo Cadray and Donna Ellwood will be there to reunite with our alumni on all things Paideia. Questions or concerns? Email alumni@paideiaschool.org.