Back to the team…
Meet Lola Zagey Strong
MANAGING DIRECTOR, CO-FOUNDER
As a young woman, Lola Zagey always dreamed of making a difference in the world. Her progress was completely derailed in 1998 when she was prescribed painkillers, which quickly developed into an all-consuming addiction to heroin. Lola began a downward spiral to a place where all drug-dependent people go… a series of rehabs, jails, then prisons. In 2008, she found herself in a place of hopeless desperation, on her way to her fourth prison sentence. She knew she had to try something different.
Sometime along the way, Lola had heard about Delancey Street Foundation. She now pleaded with the judge to give her a chance to try this program. Miraculously, the judge agreed. He said that if she could complete two years at Delancey Street, she would be forgiven of her five-year prison term.
She excelled at Delancey Street. She worked her way up to the finance department where she learned skills in accounting, auditing, and bookkeeping. After finishing her agreed-upon two years, Lola chose to stay an additional three years as a volunteer and helped manage the Los Angeles campus.
After graduating, Lola found work in the medical field as well as in property management. She lived an idyllic life in a beach-front home, surrounded by friends, reunited with family, and earning a good income. But something was missing. She felt the pain of her past life gave her a special responsibility that she needed to find a way to fulfill.
In 2015 she gave up her comfortable life and moved to Salt Lake City to help start The Other Side Academy. Since then, she has:
Led the creation of a world-class campus with nearly 100 students.
Developed financial and operational controls that support The Other Side Movers and The Other Side Thrift Boutique—both the #1 rated companies in the state.
Engaged in global innovation studies to improve The Other Side Academy, including consultations with luminaries such as Albert Bandura, David Deitch, and George DeLeon.
Spoken to scores of business and professional groups, including the World Federation of Therapeutic Communities in Bangkok, Thailand.
Worked to pass state legislation that protects unique models like The Other Side Academy.
Been recognized with her co-founders in 2018 by Ernst & Young as Entrepreneur of the Year in Utah.
Been appointed founding managing director of the Denver campus of The Other Side Academy.
Most important to Lola is the satisfaction and fulfillment of doing what she set out to do four years ago: using her life story, her formidable skills, and her selfless determination to give others a chance to change their lives. Her sole motivation is to continue this work until graduates of TOSA number in the thousands