Consultant's Corner: Getting to Know Paul Lotts

1. What was your career background before joining ESCH as a consultant?
38 years in human resources with Shell Oil Company, joining the company directly out of Drake University, and handling hiring, salary and benefits administration, labor relations, security, health and safety, equal opportunity and policy oversight.

(Photo: Yeiry Guevara)

2. When did you get involved with ESCH?
December 2008

3. What inspired you to become an ESCH consultant?
Dave Teall, a current ESCH consultant and former Shell colleague, who thought this work would be ideal for my skills/background. Also, I was interviewed by Paul Cuneo who I worked with in Shell when Paul was Refinery Superintendent at our Wood River Refinery in Wood River, Illinois. I wanted to find a productive outlet to give back as I have been so richly blessed by more than 38 years with Shell.

4. What has your experience been like so far?
Good, I've been involved in a rather large project serving the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center. Basically, I am helping them to reach out to their donor base to better understand their reasons for giving or their change in giving patterns. We already conducted an e-survey of some 1800 donors/members, and soon we will begin conducting interviews with select donors representing corporations, foundations and key individual contributors. There are four other ESCH consultants who will help with the interviews so this is indeed a team effort.

5. What do you see as the biggest common issues or trends facing nonprofits right now?
The impact of the current economy on their ability to sustain funding and current programs.

6. What has surprised you most in your experience with ESCH?
The number and variety of non-profits in the Houston area community. I'm so impressed with the passion and drive that they have for their respective causes. Truly impressive and humbling.

7. What do you do with your time when you are not working on ESCH client projects?
I recent took up golf and enjoy the game though I find it more challenging than most things I've tried. I also provide consulting to Shell on projects they wish me to pursue. Other than that, I'm a big fitness buff who either runs 7 miles a day or goes to the gym for a 2 hour workout. I vowed never to let myself get old and flabby!

8. What else would you like to tell us about you?
I am married to the same woman for 38 years, have 2 grown children - a boy in The Woodlands, a daughter in Austin. We lived in The Netherlands for 6 years and enjoy going back to see our Dutch friends and travel throughout Europe.

ESCH Client Story: C & M Education Consultants

Low educational achievement, disinterest in learning, and behavioral problems observed in elementary school aged children are of significant concern to teachers and parents alike. To help address these challenges, C&M Education Consultants Charities took a novel approach. This nonprofit developed a science curriculum to instill a passion for learning among five to seven-year-olds, using a curriculum grounded in research and knowledge about brain development and learning theory. The program specifically targets at-risk children from low socio-economic backgrounds.

Results show that participation in the curriculum helps inspire these children to pursue a path of higher learning and excellence, rather than skipped classes and carelessness.

C&M’s teacher training instilled basic principles and methodologies to effectively conquer the seemingly impossible task of teaching young children the expansive and complicated world of science. Additionally, parents attended workshops that empowered them with examples and resources to further stimulate their child’s mind outside of the classroom.

Just as the teachers benefited from instruction about how to run their classrooms more effectively, C&M needed help in becoming a more organized and progressive organization.

With a board lacking direction, goals lacking definition, and no clear strategic plan, C&M knew that if change did not come, their organization could very easily wilt away. Funding was an enormous issue, but C&M discovered that the Executive Service Corps of Houston (ESCH) could provide the knowledge and guidance necessary to overcome the obstacles that stood in the way of expansion.

For three Saturdays, the ESCH consultants worked diligently to help C&M organize their numbers into a professional funding proposal. Similar to the daily plans formed for the teachers in the classrooms, ESCH helped C&M formulate a daily agenda targeting the goals and roles of not only the board members, but the whole organization.

With ESCH’s support and consultation, C&M was able to broaden its program reach quickly. Board members became more in tune with the organization and focused on its expansion goals, allowing C&M to direct its staff’s attention to the audacious funding goals. Newly-formed fund-raising and public relations committees helped establish new contracts with additional schools and enhance overall quality of the program.

According to C&M leadership, the improvements resulting from ESCH’s work “left the board members speechless as they were informed that such professional and quality service was provided free of charge."