Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 11 No. 2 | October 2018

14 Inside Hokie Sports Paul Lombardi and his family certainly have done their part by giving back to Virginia Tech Athletics through an endowment for a football scholarship, financial support for the development of the new practice facility, and by joining the Inside Backers Gridiron Club. But much in the way in which he achieved success in the business world, Lombardi refused to be satisfied. And that motivation to do more certainly provided the impetus for his latest gift. Lombardi and his family recently made a generous seven-figure gift commitment to the athletics department’s Office of Student-Athlete Development, which focuses on leadership, career development, and personal development. As a way of honoring Lombardi and his family and simply to say thank you, Virginia Tech Director of Athletics Whit Babcock and his executive staff named the sixth floor of Lane Stadium, which houses the department’s student-athlete development suite, in honor of the Lombardi family. That area now will be called the Lombardi Student-Athlete Development Center. “I do believe that student-athlete development is important for all the right reasons,” Babcock said. “If it can help develop young people outside of athletics, we like that. It certainly can lead to graduating employed leaders, and we like that. And while it’s not our primary mission, from a recruiting standpoint, I believe when young people come in representing all 22 sports, or their parents or guardians, and they see that space and see what we’re working on for developing them, it demonstrates how we care about our student-athletes. “It’s for all the right reasons. If there is anything I know about Paul, he’s all in about Virginia Tech. He and his family are very generous and lifetime partners. This is a huge addition for us, and we’re honored to have the Lombardi name on that facility and look forward to enhancing it together with him for many years to come.” Most donors give to support scholarships, facilities (new or renovated) or specific sports. Lombardi has done those things with Virginia Tech Athletics in the past. This time, though, he decided on a different approach. “Student-athletes are inherent leaders driven to be successful,” he said. “They play integral roles in supporting their teams, and in some instances, serve as captains of those teams, and all serve as the face and leader representatives of our athletics programs. Not all of them are going to be professional athletes, so why not provide these leaders the facilities and equip them with the resources and tools that they need to be successful off the playing field and do that in advance of graduation?” The athletics department’s Office of Student-Athlete Development focuses on multiple components that enable student-athletes to get the most out of their college experience and has received national recognition from other schools throughout the country. Reyna Gilbert-Lowry, senior associate athletics director of student-athlete development and also the department’s senior woman administrator, oversees the department, with her main areas of focus including leadership, career, and personal development. This consists of bringing in acclaimed speakers, providing education to help student-athletes for successfully transitioning into and out of college, enhancing networking and professional skills, and connecting student-athletes with potential employers. Danny White, another senior associate athletics director, oversees the area’s Leadership Institute, which helps student-athletes identify ways they can thrive as students, leaders, and competitors. The Leadership Institute places a primary emphasis on study abroad and sport’s global influence on international development. This past May, White took a small group to Rwanda, and over the past six years, more than 100 Tech student-athletes have traveled to places like the Dominican Republic, Switzerland and Rwanda. Lombardi serves on the advisory board for the Apex Center for Entrepreneurs and plans to spearhead the evolving collaboration between that center and the athletics department’s Office of Student- Athlete Development. The Apex Center—founded by Hokie alums and athletics department contributors Brian Callaghan, Ted Hanson, Win Sheridan and Jeffrey Veatch—offers a portfolio of programs that are interdisciplinary and provide any Hokie from any major and any year the opportunity to engage in all phases of entrepreneurship and innovation process. The Apex Center also encourages alumni to interface with the next generations of entrepreneurs. “There’s an opportunity to integrate and further collaborate the entrepreneur program with the student-athlete population,” Lombardi said. “I want tomake sure DerickMaggard, who runs the Apex Center [as its executive director] and Danny White and Reyna Gilbert-Lowry, who run the student-athlete development area, are in lock-step in making sure that the student-athletes had access and could andwould participate in the Apex programs, and also make sure that the Apex programs and leadership team are accessible, providing support, guidance and counsel to the student-athletes. There is a mutual benefit to both. “I’mpassionate about athletics and entrepreneurship and am focusing my energy on the success of both. Our contribution is a great way to give back to the school, do something impactful and meaningful for the student-athletes, and also provide an avenue for the leaders of the Apex program to engage directly with the student-athletes. That is my vision.” Tech Athletics wants to expand its student-athlete development area. Lombardi’s gift will meet some of those needs, helping both Gilbert-Lowry and White with their programmatic needs over the course of the coming years. “Mr. Lombardi’s values are in alignment with our mission of developing today’s champions to become tomorrow’s leaders,” Gilbert- Lowry said. “The generosity displayed by him and his family reinforce the significance of developing Hokie student-athletes personally, socially, and professionally.” “We’re still in the process of raising more money for some of the infrastructure in that space,” Babcock said. “But Paul has jumped in with both feet and helped us with the primary mission, which is the programming for the student-athletes. Paul’s support underscores his strong belief in Virginia Tech, what is stands for, and what it teaches.” Lombardi, who serves on the Virginia Tech Athletic Fund board in addition to his role with the Apex Center, wasn’t a student-athlete at Virginia Tech, but he certainly respects the student-athlete experience, especially at the collegiate level given the demands on their time. He decided to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering, graduating in 1995. “I was absolutely blessed in the decision that I made to attend Virginia Tech,” Lombardi said. “I can’t tell you how happy I am with every aspect of my experience. The education was certainly top brass. The people that I met along the way and the relationships I developed have played a major role in my successes and are standing the test of time. “I really lucked into being at Virginia Tech and wouldn’t change anything if I could go back in time. My experience with Virginia Tech during and post-graduation is irreplaceable, and there’s nothing I would change even if I had that chance.” After his graduation, Lombardi didn’t pursue an engineering career in the purest sense. Instead, he pursued consulting, working for Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) for a stint before joining a smaller firm that challenged him, providing him access to a variety of roles in addition to his delivery work. The company was ultimately sold, but the owner provided an opportunity at a different company that afforded insight into developing and growing a company. Lombardi balked at the move, feeling ready to start his own business, but the owner convinced him otherwise, which proved sound advice. “When you’re young, you think, ‘I know everything already. Do I really need to do this?’” Lombardi said. “In hindsight, it turned out Virginia Tech alum Paul Lombardi and his family recently made a financial gift to be used to provide student-athletes with the resources needed to prepare for careers after sports by Jimmy Robertson Expanding future opportunities for student-athletes