Safeway District Manager to Present in School District’s Speaker Series Wednesday

On Wednesday at the , local high school students and their parents will have the opportunity to gain career insight from a district manager for Safeway.

For the second installment in ’s 2011 Speaker Series, “The Skills and Ethics Needed for Success in the 21st Century,” Safeway NorCal Division District Manager Kevin Lovell will present “The Skills Companies Require of Today’s (and Tomorrow’s) Workers.”

Lovell said he plans to lead a structured, open forum-style discussion.

“It will be a fun and engaging talk,” Lovell said. “The key to my presentation is not to just share my experience but to involve the audience of parents and students on their thoughts and opinions as well.”

Lovell has been with Safeway for 26 years and began his career as a courtesy clerk at the age of 16. As a NorCal Division District Manager, he’s accountable for 19 stores (mostly in the Tri-Valley), manages more than 2,400 employees and handles store operations, store conditions, philanthropy, people development and customer relations.

He said his participation in the Speaker Series is a nice opportunity for him to give back to the community.

“It was an honor to be asked and I am thrilled to participate,” Lovell said. “As a local resident and parent, I want my own children to be as successful as possible, so I am very impressed that the school district would develop and implement a speaker series like this.”

Lovell adds he hopes his presentation will teach kids how to prepare for success in a difficult job market.

“Although the economy is starting to recover and the unemployment rate is going down, there is still a need to ‘stand out’ when you’re interviewing for a job,” he said. “It’s important for our children to know how to do that.”

The Speaker Series runs through March 23 and takes place on Wednesdays at the district’s high schools. The next Speaker Series presenter, Town of Danville Councilman Newell Arnerich, will offer leadership insight in “Am I a Leader? You bet! You just may not know it yet!” at the Monte Vista High School Theater.

The final Speaker Series event, “The Next Generation Work Force – What Does it Take to Get a Great Job?” will be held March 23 in the theater and include a panel of eight as yet unnamed business people and high school students.

The Dougherty Valley High School Performing Arts Center is at 10550 Albion Road, in San Ramon. All events run from 6:30 to 8 p.m. and registration is required through EventBrite. Tickets are free, but donations benefiting the San Ramon Valley Education Foundation are accepted.

For more information or to register for an event, click here.