Author: Makenzie Morris
Community Involvement
Published:
Thursday, 01 Jan 2026
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Planting the Seeds of Entrepreneurship
Jim Russell, JA of the Heartland President & CEO
My connection with Junior Achievement goes back about 32 or 33 years, to when Caitlin, my daughter and the president of our Russell, was in first grade. Having taught in a lot of elementary schools since then, I haven’t seen the programming evolve too far or too much. It’s really good, and it doesn’t warrant a lot of tweaking.
Fast forward to the 2025–26 school year, and I taught seven classes, six in the Quad Cities and one in Geneva, IL, for my grandson. They were all my grandchildren’s classes. When you do the math, 7 classes times 5 sessions for each class in the elementary curriculum, that’s 35 sessions, and they all ended up being in the spring semester.
One of my favorite things from teaching first grade is how the kids all remember the word “entrepreneur,” a big, long, tough word. I reinforce that word in every class, using John Deere as my classic poster-child example. If there’s one thing they remember from JA and Mr. Russell, it’s the word “entrepreneur” and what an entrepreneur is.
I haven’t ever taught JA higher than fifth grade, though I have spoken to higher grades, high school, and college on a lot of different things. Teaching elementary can be very challenging because attention is so difficult, and I’ve taught classes as small as 16 kids and as many as 33 or 34, which is too many! It’s kind of like going to work out: when you’re going there, you really don’t want to, but when you’re done, you feel glad that you did. You feel so good about yourself.
I ended up on the Junior Achievement Board of Directors in the early 2000s and became chair of the board in 2006.
In 2003, I was inducted into the Quad Cities Area Business Hall of Fame. In the picture, I barely have gray hair, so I must have been 40ish. In my remarks, I literally said, “I’m much too young to be in a Hall of Fame. Are you sure you want me in a Hall of Fame?” To this day, it is one of my favorite honors because of the prestigious group of people who preceded and followed me. Another highlight equal to that was being involved on the ground floor of the actual design, conception, donation of services, and recruitment of sponsors for what was called Exchange City, now Junior Achievement BizTown at the new JA Inspiration Center.
Being in the construction industry, I also appreciate that JA lets us heighten awareness about alternative career paths. Society as a whole probably overly programs people to go to college instead of into the trades, even though a person with capabilities in diesel mechanics or welding might make two times what someone with a history or communications degree makes. In our industry, our tradespeople are largely in their 40s and 50s and retiring faster than we’re replacing them, so tomorrow’s workforce is a key issue. For elementary kids, trucks, tractors, and cranes are pretty cool. I hope that by the time they get to fifth grade, they have a heightened awareness that it’s worthy and noble to go into a tough industry like construction and work with tools and your hands.
I’ve always strongly encouraged people at our company to volunteer for JA. Giving back in that way is so rewarding for the person teaching, but I always tell people: teaching JA is tougher than being in a union negotiation! When you’re a business leader talking in a room, people look at you; that doesn’t happen in Junior Achievement. You’re lucky to get one quarter of the class to pay attention to you at a given moment. It humbles you and is hard work, but it is incredibly rewarding work.
The Lessons That Led Me to Junior Achievement
Barbara VenHorst, Former JA of the Heartland President
My first instructor in JA principles was my dad. A self-employed entrepreneur, he was the embodiment of JA’s FEW: Financial literacy, Entrepreneurship and Workplace readiness.
By his example, I learned to balance a checkbook, understanding that if there was a mistake, it was rarely the bank’s fault and that you aren’t done until the account balances to the penny. I learned if you can’t pay for something in cash, you don’t put it on the credit card hoping you’ll be able to afford it in the future. Wants aren’t needs, and just because you can afford to pay for something, it doesn’t mean you have to buy it.
I learned that being an entrepreneur means you’re working for the toughest boss you’ll ever know. While an employee gets a guaranteed paycheck, the entrepreneur is the last to get paid. He takes the risk and hopefully earns the reward of success. “No” and “we can’t do that” are not acceptable answers.
My dad showed me that workplace readiness meant giving my best every day. No one owes me anything except a paycheck. My job wasn’t just doing the assigned work; it meant showing up every day ready to work and solve problems.
These were just a few of the lessons I learned from my “JA instructor”. I assumed everyone knew and lived by these principles. Imagine my surprise when I entered the work world and realized that not everyone had received the same education. I watched very bright and talented people stumble and fall because they had to learn these lessons the hard way.
This is why JA resonates with me and why I wanted to be part of it. Students who learn the JA principles and practice them have an advantage in the workplace, but also in life. They learn to be problem solvers who live within their financial means – those two skills alone head off myriad issues in their adult lives. Students also learn the skills to expand their financial means by being strong employees or business owners. While technical skills in a chosen career are necessary for success, these life skills provide the means to multiply that success.
I met many outstanding business leaders and teachers as President of JA of the Heartland for ten years. Their dedication to making the JA program available to students was inspiring and helped me do my job better. I also enjoyed the time I spent with students as a JA volunteer, watching their horizons expand as they completed their JA lessons. I salute JA of the Heartland on its 70th anniversary and hope for its continued success for many generations of students to come.
From JA President to Lifelong Advocate
Christy Kunz, Former JA of the Heartland President
As the oldest of ten children and a first-generation college student, I put myself through college by working at a local country club and continued there after graduation. Following two years at a computer sales/training company, in 1990, I took a career leap to Junior Achievement of the Heartland (then Junior Achievement of the Quad Cities) to be the Administrative Assistant. My job duties were bookkeeping, assisting the president, and answering the phone. When I started at Junior Achievement (JA), I knew very little about JA and had no idea how deeply I would become engaged in the mission or how profoundly this opportunity would influence the direction of my life.
Initially, it was a steep learning curve in my knowledge of JA and myself. I loved working for an organization that changed lives every day but missed working directly with people. After two years, Junior Achievement USA was piloting their new Elementary School Programs, and JA of the Heartland was selected as one of six JA’s in the country to pilot the new K-6 programs. JA of the Heartland was fortunate to secure a grant from the Bechtel Trusts and Foundation to hire a staff person to manage these new programs. I was fortunate to be selected as the first Elementary Programs Manager for JA of the Heartland. This was an opportunity to promote JA programs, meet area educators, business leaders, community members, and work with an amazing board of directors and JA team. It was everything I was looking for in a career!
During the next eleven years, I grew with the organization and eventually led the Education Team, working with JA programs and community boards throughout the then twenty-one county area we served. Working with then JA of the Heartland president, Gina Blayney, we successfully implemented several projects including JA program growth throughout the region, the opening of the JA Inspiration Center in downtown Davenport, which housed JA BizTown and JA Finance Park, and the establishment of JA of Estonia with student exchanges. Every day I saw firsthand the impact of JA on the lives of students, which solidified my love for the JA mission.
From 2003-2007, I served as president of JA of the Heartland and worked alongside an amazing staff team, of which several are JA of the Heartland leaders today. This role gave me the great pleasure of learning from philanthropic business leaders like Dick Bittner, Linda Bowers, Frank Clark, Hunt Harris, Tom Thoms, Jim Victor, Cathie Whiteside, and so many more. During this time, JA of Dubuque merged with JA of the Heartland, and the JA Free Enterprise Foundation was taking off.
In 2007, I joined the Junior Achievement USA Operations team. I worked out of my home and traveled the country for fifteen years using what I learned at JA of the Heartland to assist other JA Areas as they developed strategic plans, created engaging board of directors, implemented JA programs, and secured funding and volunteers. I retired from JA USA in 2022 as the Senior Vice President of Operations.
Over the course of my career, I saw the impact of JA many times, but one moment as a Bettendorf Middle School 7th‑grade volunteer is the one I will always remember. One week, the JA activity focused on the importance of marketing a business and the value of a business card. The students were to create their own business card. At the end of this class period, the intercom bell rang, and the students left the classroom quickly except for one student. This student stayed behind to let me know that “his uncle had a tree trimming business and he had helped design the business card for him”. I was pleased the student had connected with the lesson but had no idea of the deeper impact I had just witnessed. After the student left, the teacher shared, “The student is an elective mute, and there is a team working to get this student to talk.” The student speaking to me was a breakthrough they had been looking for. I walked out of the school with a skip in my step. It was not me that sparked this student, but instead, JA making the impact it was meant to, connecting and inspiring students on topics for which they can relate and are excited about!
In retirement, I continue to volunteer in classrooms (over 50 since 1990), at the JA Inspiration Center, and JA Career Days. My husband, Gary, and I provide annual financial gifts, were contributors to the new JA Inspiration Center in Moline, and support special events. Additionally, the JA Free Enterprise Foundation is in our estate plan.
Growing up and through college, I had no idea what I wanted to do. Junior Achievement changed all of that. Junior Achievement helped me discover what was possible, the same way it does for the students around the world every day.
Special thanks to all the JA board members and staff for their support of me and Junior Achievement. Your encouragement, wisdom, and commitment shaped my 32-year JA journey, and I greatly appreciate you!
Leading the Way: Reflections from a Former JA President
Gina Blayney, Former JA of the Heartland President
I was fortunate to be leading JA of the Quad Cities Area, Inc. when Junior Achievement introduced a new curriculum model centered on experiential learning. The model combined classroom instruction with an immersive experience at an experiential learning center (ELC), where students could apply what they had learned through two innovative in-school programs: JA Exchange City—now Junior Achievement BizTown—and Junior Achievement Finance Park. After building foundational skills in economics, financial literacy, and career readiness, students spent a full school day operating a simulated community, managing businesses, having a job, earning income, and making real-world financial decisions.
We became only the third JA area in the country to secure the funding, build partnerships with local schools, and design and construct an ELC—located in downtown Davenport. Today, more than 130 local teachers integrate the Junior Achievement BizTown and Junior Achievement Finance Park curricula into their social studies instruction, reaching more than 6,600 students each year. This enduring success reflects Junior Achievement of the Heartland’s remarkable tradition of volunteerism and its deep commitment to partnerships between business and education—partnerships that continue to prepare young people for success in work and life.
Looking Back: A Former JA President’s Journey with Junior Achievement
Susan Ploeger, Former JA of the Heartland President
I graduated from the University of Iowa in 1978 and, that same spring, moved to the Quad Cities to begin my first job with Junior Achievement. Little did I know that I would fall in love with the JA mission, the young people it served, and the community surrounding it. What began as my first job became a passionate and rewarding 17-year career.
After serving for two years as the JA Company Manager, followed by managing Project Business, I became President of Junior Achievement of the Quad Cities in 1983, a position I was privileged to hold for 12 years.
When I began working with JA in the late 70s, Junior Achievement was best known for its original after-school evening program. High school students actually organized and operated their own small companies with the guidance of volunteer business advisers. I fondly remember driving from high school to high school in the evenings, visiting the JA companies and getting to know the energetic, entrepreneurial students and their advisers. Trade fairs were also a big part of the experience, often held in local malls where students proudly displayed and sold the products they had created.
During my tenure, Junior Achievement began a major shift toward classroom-based programs, and participation grew exponentially. More schools and educators began partnering with JA and welcoming business professionals into their classrooms to teach students about work readiness, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and the free-enterprise system. During those years, programs included Business Basics for fifth- and sixth-graders, Project Business for eighth-graders, and Applied Economics for high school students. Eventually, the traditional evening JA Company program was discontinued as classroom programming became the primary focus.
It was also an exciting period of growth for fundraising and community recognition. The first JA Bowl-a-thon and the first JA Golf Tournament were launched during those years, both becoming longstanding annual fundraisers. The Quad Cities Business Hall of Fame, founded through the leadership of Hunt Harris, also became an important tradition, honoring outstanding business leaders whose contributions helped shape our community.
One of my most memorable experiences came in the early 1990s, when I had the opportunity to travel with Vinje Dahl and Hunt Harris to Tallinn, Estonia, to help create an international partnership between Junior Achievement of the Quad Cities and Junior Achievement of Estonia. Estonia had only recently regained its independence following decades of Soviet rule. We shared JA teaching materials and ideas with Estonian business leaders and the program’s newly hired JA staff as they began introducing young people to entrepreneurship, free enterprise and the principles of a market economy. It was an extraordinary experience and one I will always treasure.
After 17 meaningful years with Junior Achievement, I decided it was time for a new chapter, and our family moved to Burlington, Iowa. My husband and I became entrepreneurs ourselves, launching Ploeger Recruiting Services, an executive search firm serving Iowa manufacturers and hospitals. We successfully operated the business for 28 years before retiring three years ago.
Even after leaving my professional role with JA, I remained deeply involved with the organization in Burlington. I helped strengthen the local JA board and volunteered to teach the newly developed elementary school programs. One of my favorite memories was teaching the first-, second-, third-, and fourth-grade JA programs in my youngest daughter's classrooms.
Looking back, I am incredibly grateful for the people who made those years so meaningful. I had the opportunity to work with and learn from dynamic and committed board members, and I was fortunate to be surrounded by a talented staff who worked tirelessly alongside me.
Most of all, I will always be thankful for the hundreds of volunteers who gave their time, energy, and real-world experience to Junior Achievement. They brought the world of business to life for generations of young people throughout the Quad Cities and surrounding communities.
Junior Achievement was much more than a career for me. It helped shape who I became, introduced me to extraordinary people, and gave me the privilege of watching young people discover possibilities for their own futures. I will always be proud and grateful to have been part of it.
Honoring the Past, Shaping the Future of JA
Lysa Hegland, JA of the Heartland President & CEO
To me, 70 years of Junior Achievement is really 70 years of believing in the potential of young people. The programs and the world around us have changed tremendously, but that belief has remained constant.
As the newest President of Junior Achievement of the Heartland, I have a tremendous amount of respect for the Presidents and leaders who came before me. I inherited an organization with a remarkable legacy, deep community relationships, and a mission that has stood the test of time. My responsibility is to honor that legacy while making sure JA continues to evolve for the students and communities we serve today.
Our young people are preparing for a future that looks very different from the one many of us grew up in. They need financial literacy. They need career exposure. They need to understand how their interests and talents connect to opportunities in their own communities. And, perhaps most importantly, they need adults who believe in them and help them see what is possible.
That is why I believe the next chapter of JA is so exciting. We don’t simply want to celebrate 70 years; we want to use this milestone to look forward. If the first 70 years were about building the foundation, I want the next chapter to be about building an even stronger future for young people across the 24 counties we serve.
I feel incredibly fortunate to be the person who gets to carry the torch at this point in JA’s history. I see myself as a steward of a 70 year legacy and a builder of what comes next.
I respect what was built before me. I also know that we can’t assume that what worked yesterday is exactly what young people need tomorrow. Our responsibility is to keep listening to our students, our educators, our businesses, and our communities and to make sure JA continues to evolve with them. And I’m incredibly excited about what's next for Junior Achievement of the Heartland.
A JA Journey: From Student to National Team Member
Grace Schebler, JA USA
Junior Achievement was something I looked forward to every year of elementary school. I still remember the volunteers who came into my classroom dressed in business attire and carrying briefcases, and I remember thinking they must be teaching us something really important.
I loved school, so I have a lot of great memories from those years, but one of my favorites was preparing for JA BizTown in fifth grade. I dressed up for my interview, was hired as Town Treasurer, and took the role very seriously. My dad volunteered that day, which made the experience even more memorable. Looking back, it's one of those childhood experiences that stuck with me and ultimately helped shape my career.
Years later, as an elementary teacher in Colorado, I was looking for resources to support personal financial literacy standards and reached out to my local JA office. They connected me with JA learning experiences that I later taught to both my first and fifth-grade students. While the materials had evolved since I was a student, the core purpose was the same: helping students connect what they learn in school to the real world and think more intentionally about their futures.
I'm grateful to be one of the many students whose life was touched by JA. What started for me in a classroom in Davenport eventually came full circle, leading me to a career with JA-Rocky Mountain and now JA USA. I've experienced JA as a student, a teacher, a volunteer, a local staff member, and now a member of the national team. Through every stage, I've seen the same impact: helping young people see opportunities they may not have considered before and giving them the confidence to imagine what's possible. It's pretty special to know that an organization that played such a meaningful role in my childhood continues to influence the work I do today and create those same opportunities for students across the country.
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