Jeff Lissack, the Chief Operating Officer

Meet Our New COO:
Interview with the new Chief Operating Officer of Peace Games, Jeff Lissack

What exactly does a Chief Operating Officer do? What are your responsibilities at Peace Games?

In many organizations, the CEO is the external facing leadership that communicates the strategy and vision and manages the relationships. The COO is internal facing leadership who makes sure all of the trains run on time. Eric and I will be working out exactly what that means over the next several months, but as an executive partnership our strengths and personalities complement each other very well. I will be overseeing the organization’s finances, administration, Regional Directors, and Peace Games Institute.

What do you hope to accomplish as Chief Operating Officer for Peace Games?

Being new, I see a tremendous potential for accomplishing a great amount in schools, and the lives of people connected to them. I want to help Peace Games learn how we can touch more schools and people in a truly sustainable and lasting fashion.

Please tell us a little bit about your background. How have your past experiences led you to Peace Games?

I bring a lot of different experiences to bear on Peace Games. I have launched government programs which have been replicated nationwide, I have been an executive at three start-up companies-- one of which has gone public, and I have also worked as a strategy consultant to nonprofits. The COO position is an ideal role for me, as the right hand shoulder of a visionary leader, to make things happen for real.

What do you think are Peace Games’ strongest assets as an organization?

Peace Games has a compelling vision and mission for what it wants to accomplish, people who are passionate about working to get there, and real world experience in effecting change.

What are some weaknesses and challenges that Peace Games faces?

We have to take our very big dreams and turn them into “one step at a time,” building block progress. Ironically, I think this organization will accomplish a lot more by attempting to do less. We need to get smarter about focusing hard on our top priorities.

So far, what has been your favorite part of working at Peace Games?

The people! There is a real energy and compassion about all of the people who are connected with Peace Games, which makes it feel worthwhile to come to work each day and gives me confidence that we’ll ultimately get where we’re trying to go.

What are your hobbies and interests?

Getting outdoors, whether through hiking biking, skiing, being in boats...my friends and family—I put a lot of energy into those relationships. I just got married a month ago, so right now a lot of time is going into consolidating two households into one.

Where do you see Peace Games heading in the near future?

I envision Peace Games remaining strong at its core work of transforming schools, but also finding ways to expand its impact through partnerships with other organizations, training, and exploring new ways to accomplish its work.

What message would you like to share with PEACE-mail readers?

I look forward to meeting many more Peace Games staff, supporters, and volunteers soon and hearing your ideas about the most important things we need to do to make Peace Games a more effective organization.