Junior Achievement of Arizona (JA) recently chose Chrisie Ballard from among more than one hundred thousand U.S. volunteers as one of eleven recipients of our 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 Awards honor the recipients’ JA volunteer service during the 2021-22 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 Katherine Cecala, president of Junior Achievement of Arizona.
Chrisie is CEO and Executive Director of BNI SoZona, so she has a wealth of experience in networking and entrepreneurship, and she has leveraged her professional success to benefit our mission. She joined the Southern Arizona District Board of Directors in 2010 and has held various leadership positions within JA since then.
For the past 13 years, Chrisie has been a valuable asset to the board, tackling challenges head on and advocating for positive growth. She has recruited dozens of volunteers and is generous with her time and effort. She is willing to mentor and grow new board members and has been an energetic volunteer in the classroom. She has led the career program at Pueblo High School and shares her experiences as a successful business owner with the students.
We can’t thank Chrisie enough for everything she has done to prepare Arizona students to succeed in work and life. We are privileged to work with her and thrilled that she has won the Gold Leadership Award. Watch the video below to see the moment Chrisie won this prestigious award, which includes a wonderful speech from Katherine Cecala, president of Junior Achievement of Arizona.
Junior Achievement’s entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and career readiness programs are delivered nationwide — typically in classrooms during the school day, by volunteer role models from the local business community. If you’d like to get involved, consider volunteering, donating, or attending an event!
