Junior Achievement Of New York Honors Chris Levendos Of Crown Castle At Annual Lower Hudson Valley Champions Celebration

NEW YORK, May 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On Tuesday, May 18, Junior Achievement of New York - the leading provider of real world education for K-12 students in New York City, Long Island, and the Lower Hudson Valley - honored Chris Levendos, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer-Fiber of Crown Castle, with the 2021 Lower Hudson Valley Champions Award during the virtual Champions Celebration.

The 2021 Lower Hudson Valley Champions Celebration, presented by Crown Castle and PepsiCo, raised over $100,000 to provide access to financial literacy, entrepreneurship and work readiness programs for K-12 students across Westchester, Rockland, Orange, and Putnam Counties.

The Champions Celebration featured a dynamic panel discussion between members of the Black Women in Finance and Operations Affinity Group at IBM and Junior Achievement students focusing on developing leadership skills, finding mentorship, and building a network. Followed by a conversation with Dr. Edwin M. Quezada, Superintendent of the Yonkers Public Schools, highlighting the educational landscape in the Lower Hudson Valley. The evening ended with a Fireside Chat honoring Chris Levendos of Crown Castle with the 2021 Lower Hudson Valley Champions Award.

"Chris is a long-time champion of Junior Achievement of New York in the Lower Hudson Valley and we are thrilled to present him with the 2021 Champions Award," said Joseph Peri, President and CEO of Junior Achievement of New York. "He is the ultimate triple threat: a problem solver, a doer and a thought leader – and we are so grateful for his continued advocacy for young people across the Lower Hudson Valley."

Panelists and special guests included:

• Chris Levendos, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer – Fiber, Crown Castle
• Dr. Edwin M. Quezada, Superintendent, Yonkers Public Schools
• Oyin Ayobiojo, Financial Sales Executive, IBM Global Financing
• Maileen DuBose, Accounting Analyst, IBM Finance – Accounting
• Allenia Robinson, 2019-2020 Student of the Year, Junior Achievement of New York
• Marjorie Oporto, Student Ambassador, Junior Achievement of New York
• Gabby Lawyerr, Student, Junior Achievement of New York
• Baran Ferahoglu, Student Ambassador, Junior Achievement of New York

For more information about the 2021 Lower Hudson Valley Champions Celebration, visit: https://secure.qgiv.com/event/2021lhvchamp/

About Junior Achievement of New York
Junior Achievement of New York is the local affiliate of Junior Achievement USA, the nation'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. We recruit, train, and mobilize thousands of corporate, community, and student volunteers annually to provide relevant, hands-on experiences that give students knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. JA New York delivers more than 57,000 student experiences per year to more than 240 NYC, Long Island and Lower Hudson Valley public schools. Visit www.jany.org for more information.

About the 2021 Lower Hudson Valley Champions Award Honoree
Chris Levendos was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Network at Crown Castle in December 2020. Crown Castle's comprehensive portfolio of towers, small cells, and fiber gives people and communities access to essential data, technology and wireless service and opens the door to countless opportunities and possibilities. Prior to this, Chris served as Vice President of Network Engineering and Operations since 2018. Chris has more than 30 years of experience operating and leading large fiber network organizations, previously serving as Executive Vice President of Field Operations for Frontier Communications Corporation as well as leading network deployment and operations as an executive of Google Fiber Inc. Prior to his time with Google Fiber, Mr. Levendos spent most of his career at Verizon Communications Inc. in a variety of operating roles within the company's wireline division. He holds a B.A. in History from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, a Master of Urban Planning degree from New York University and a Master of Telecommunications Management degree from Stevens Institute of Technology.

CONTACT: Alejandra Romero
PHONE: 646-500-3494
EMAIL: [email protected]

SOURCE Junior Achievement of New York

Related Links

http://www.jany.org