21

ME N T O R I N G E X C E L L E N C E
DAVID PLYLER
At l ant a Yout h Academy
Gleneagles Group
BNY Mellon
Kids are more ready to take on responsibility than most adults think,
said David Plyler, chief executive of Gleneagles Group in Atlanta.
To that end, he created the demanding Leadership 101 program
for the Atlanta Youth Academy, an inner-city Christian school.
This young generation is very media-sensitive and focused
on instant gratication. We teach them about patience, goal-
setting, staying on task, and achievement, he said.
The year-long academic program is based on weekly
visits from mentors who teach seventh- and eighth-
graders about leadership, project management, teamwork,
careers, economics and the stock market.
Eighth-graders are divided into teams that serve the school
by performing community service, mentoring and special
projects, and are given complex initiatives to manage. For
example, each team is given a mock investment fund to
trade 20 stocks throughout the year. In a philanthropy
exercise, teams are given $3,000 to $5,000 to donate,
requiring them to research and interview different charities.
For Mr. Plyler, the benets are broad.
Im a hands-on person; Im not a person who can sit on
boards. I like to be in the fray. And it has reconnected me to
the passion I had for the civil rights movement in the 60s.
m
e
n
t
o
r