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Georgia Lottery president receives lifetime achievement award
ATLANTA – Georgia Lottery Corp. President and CEO Margaret R. DeFrancisco today received the 2011 Major Peter J. O’Connell Lottery Industry Lifetime Achievement Award. The international award, presented by Public Gaming Research Institute (PGRI), recognizes lottery directors and industry executives who have consistently distinguished themselves in the lottery industry.
“Margaret DeFrancisco’s energy and hard work are complemented by talent, vision and leadership skills that have done much to shape the progress of the U.S. lottery industry,” said Paul Jason, CEO of PGRI. “She has distinguished herself over a long period of time and made important contributions to the success of her peers and the lottery industry.”
Lottery industry leaders and previous recipients selected DeFrancisco to receive this year’s award. Among her many accomplishments, she led the national effort to cross-sell Powerball and Mega Millions in participating states.
Under DeFrancisco’s leadership, the Georgia Lottery is the only traditional U.S. lottery to increase returns to its beneficiary programs for 12 consecutive years.
“Georgia is very fortunate to have a leader like Margaret at the helm of its lottery,” said James “Jimmy” F. Braswell, chair of the Georgia Lottery’s board of directors. “As a result of her leadership, the Georgia Lottery’s success record is unmatched, not only in the U.S., but in the world. Her unparalleled knowledge, vision and efforts have resulted in 2.4 million Georgia students benefiting from the lottery-funded HOPE Scholarship and Pre-K programs.”
DeFrancisco has been named to the “Most Influential” lists by Georgia Trend, the Atlanta Business Chronicle and James magazine. She has been honored with the Big Brothers Big Sisters Legacy Award, by the Chauncey Davis Foundation as a Champion for a Cause, and by the March of Dimes as a Friend of Radio.
“We are all very proud of Margaret’s tremendous achievements and what they mean to Georgia’s students and families who depend on HOPE and Pre-K,” said G. Anthony “Tony” Campbell, former board chair of the Georgia Lottery. “Her exemplary leadership, business savvy and unparalleled excellence have led to many groundbreaking efforts that have changed the landscape of the lottery industry.”
“Margaret is so deserving of this award,” said David Gale, executive director of the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL). “She has been a leader within our industry for many years. I have had the pleasure of working with Margaret during her term as the NASPL president. I was most impressed by the determination, drive and dedication she displayed on behalf of the Association, and I am extremely excited for her to receive this recognition.”
DeFrancisco has served in the lottery industry for 12 years. She was director of the New York Lottery before taking the helm at the Georgia Lottery in 2003.
Since its first year, the Georgia Lottery Corp. has returned more than $12.3 billion to the state of Georgia for education. All Georgia Lottery profits go to pay for specific educational programs, including Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship Program and Georgia’s Pre-K Program. More than 1.3 million students have received HOPE, and more than 1.1 million 4-year-olds have attended the statewide, voluntary prekindergarten program.
For more information on the Georgia Lottery Corp., please visit:
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