Press Releases

Little Rock, AR- August 15, 2024 – Junior Achievement of Arkansas (JA) is thrilled to announce a new educational partnership with Watson Chapel School District for the 2024-2025 academic year. This collaboration will introduce a comprehensive education pathways program across the district's elementary, junior high, and high schools, focusing on financial literacy, workforce readiness, and entrepreneurship. Beginning this school year, students from Watson Chapel's elementary to high school levels will benefit from JA’s proven programs designed to inspire and prepare young people for economic success. The initiative aims to equip students with critical life skills and foster an entrepreneurial mindset, helping them to become productive, financially literate citizens ready to meet the demands of the 21st-century workforce. “We are excited to partner with Watson Chapel School District to bring JA’s impactful programs to their students,” said Tonya Villines, President & CEO of Junior Achievement of Arkansas. “This partnership reflects our shared commitment to providing students with the tools they need to succeed in their personal and professional lives. We believe that by working together, we can create a brighter future for the students of Watson Chapel.”

Little Rock, AR. – Junior Achievement of Arkansas, a non-profit organization that provides financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurial education to students in K-12, is proud to announce the appointment of new members now serving on the organization’s board. New Board Members-State Board: Lisa Lake (AT&T), Dr. Keith McGee (Watson Chapel School District), Alex Ray (Viridis Initiative), BK Simmons (Simmons & Company), Cleve Wortham (Equity Bank) Central Board: Katelyn LaBudde (Bank OZK), Barabara Riggin (First Horizon Bank) NWA Board: AnneDella Hines (ProsperMed, LLC), Alexandro Saenger (Walmart), Hannah Standifer (Upskill NWA), Joseph Tharp (Regions Bank), Henry J. Wildenborg (EY) "We are thrilled to welcome our new Board of Directors for the 2024-25 term. Each member brings a wealth of expertise, dedication, and a shared vision for empowering the next generation through education and entrepreneurship. As we embark on this new chapter, we are confident that their guidance will significantly enhance our initiatives and extend our impact throughout the community. Together, we are committed to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy”, said Tonya Villines, president & CEO of Junior Achievement of Arkansas. Alex Ray, Viridis Initiative, State Board – Alex Ray (35) is a Sherwood native who grew up in Central Arkansas and currently resides in west Little Rock with his wife Lindsey, and their two young daughters. For more than a decade, Alex and his family have been active members at The Church at Rock Creek in Little Rock, serving in the church’s student ministry, children’s ministry, worship ministry, and others. Before 2020, Alex taught two JA Personal Finance courses to 11th and 12th graders at Parkview Magnet High School in the Little Rock School District and has made himself available for high school course leadership in the years since. Alex has a bachelor’s degree in political science, with an emphasis in macroeconomics, from Ouachita Baptist University (2011), and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Arkansas’ Walton College of Business (2021), with an emphasis in Global Supply Chain Management. Alex is also a Certified Business Energy Professional (CBEP) by the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE). Alex is a Principal & National Practice Lead – Education, for Viridis Initiative. Viridis is a private-equity infrastructure development firm serving public markets across the United States. In his role, Alex is responsible for managing a nationwide client portfolio and business development pipeline of higher education and large K-12 markets. Before Viridis, Alex spent 11.5 years at Johnson Controls Inc. (JCI), in several roles of increasing responsibility (in Arkansas). Alex's primary role in Arkansas was responsibility for the growth and oversight of JCI’s Sustainable Infrastructure business unit in the state. Alex has spent the last 13 years developing, funding, and implementing strategic infrastructure solutions for his clients in Higher Education, K12, and State/local government sectors across the Southeastern U.S. He has directed his clients through the development of both traditional and alternatively delivered capital infrastructure modernization projects and campaigns. His alternative delivery and funding portfolio alone represents more than $100M in infrastructure upgrades and modernization across Arkansas, securing more than $250M in projected utility and taxpayer savings and the sequestration of more than 1.2M metric tons of CO2 from Arkansas’ water and air. For hobbies, when not traveling with this family, Alex finds himself golfing, fly fishing, or camping anywhere he can find a quiet spot in the Ozarks or South Arkansas. “Alex is a well-respected member of his community, both professionally and socially,” Villines added. “I’m excited for what he will bring to the organization as we work to prepare young people for the real world by showing them how to generate wealth and effectively manage it, how to create jobs which make their communities more robust, and how to apply entrepreneurial thinking to the workplace.” State Board Chair, Andrew Faulkner stated “I am excited about these new Board members joining the organization. Junior Achievement of Arkansas is growing rapidly and having these outstanding individuals on the team will help facility our growth in the communities we serve in a way that achieves our overall mission of financial literacy and helping the young people in Arkansas succeed in life.” Junior Achievement of Arkansas, founded in 1987, empowers young people to control their own economic success. JA is the largest organization dedicated to educating students about work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy. Through experiential, hands-on programs, JA inspires students to dream big and reach their potential.

Little Rock, AR – Junior Achievement of Arkansas (JA) announced that John Eichler has been chosen from among more than one hundred thousand U.S. volunteers as one of eleven recipients of the organization’s most prestigious national award for volunteerism, the Gold Leadership Award. Junior Achievement’s Gold Leadership Award honors volunteer excellence, presented in recognition of leadership in supporting and expanding JA’s student impact, resources, operational excellence and sustainability. The Gold Leadership Award honors the recipient’s JA volunteer service during the 2022-23 school year. Our local business community’s support of JA is critical to achieving our mission, to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in the global economy,” said Tonya Villines, president and CEO of Junior Achievement of Arkansas. John Eichler, Senior Vice President, and Controller, at Windstream, is a remarkable example of that spirit of dedication and service to others. In a very tangible way, he helps Junior Achievement of Arkansas JA students get the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices.”

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Feb. 7, 2024) — Junior Achievement of Arkansas has announced its inaugural Hall of Fame Gala, to be co-chaired by Jenny and Andrew Faulkner, CEO of Staley Technologies, the event’s presenting sponsor. The celebration will be Thursday, May 9, 2024, at the Statehouse Convention Center Governor Halls I and II in Little Rock.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Dec. 19, 2023) – The Arvest Foundation awarded grants totaling $370,000 to 34 organizations in the Little Rock area in 2023. These organizations are working diligently to make a difference, and they represent the best of their communities. “These organizations spent 2023 serving the Little Rock area and working to create positive changes,” said Ron Witherspoon, President of Arvest Bank in Central Arkansas. “We’re proud to have been able to support them through these Arvest Foundation grants, and we can’t wait to see how they make an impact on their communities in 2024.”

Junior Achievement Celebrates Cinco de Mayo with a FUNdraising Bowl-A-Thon on May 5, 2023 Junior Achievement of Arkansas (JA) is turning a Friday night fiesta into a FUNdraising event for Arkansas students with a Cinco de Mayo Bowl-A-Thon. Fun, food, bowling and margaritas are on the menu for JA’s debut Cinco de Mayo event, presented by First Service Bank and held at Millennium Bowl in North Little Rock from 4:00-6:00 p.m. on May 5, 2023.

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