Junior Achievement (JA) of Texarkana has appointed a new Executive Director, Julie O’Neal to fill the role left by the outgoing Executive Director Kaitlyn Flanagan. O’Neal began her duties August 2.
JA Texarkana Board Chairman, Collins Bruner, said that he believes that O’Neal will be the perfect replacement.
“I am very confident that Julie O’Neal will take our organization to the next level,” he said. Bruner said that O’Neal came with exceptionally high referrals and has had lots of experience working with youth organizations.
Prior to joining JA, O’Neal served as the Development Director for the Caddo Area Council Boy Scouts of America and her scope of work included marketing, fundraising, and implementation of special events and programs.
At her heart O’Neal said she aspires to motivate and inspire the youth of our community to work towards economic and financial independence, through financial and entrepreneurial literacy, while upholding principles of corporate governance and stewardship.
“I believe that every young person is responsible for creating their own economic success in the world and that through their success they will find freedom and feel valuable to their community,” she said. “Junior Achievement provides that platform and opportunity for young people to learn and experience first hand the dynamics of how to start, run and manage an enterprise, while at the same time exposing them to financial literacy and work readiness skills.”
The number of students reached by JA volunteers has increased over the last two years, and O’Neal hopes the community will support JA and the School Districts so that it is possible to reach every student in Texarkana.
To learn more about Junior Achievement of Texarkana and its mission, you can contact Julie O’Neal at Julie@jatexarkana.org You can also like and follow them on Facebook by searching for Junior Achievement of Texarkana.