Retired Chick-fil-A, Inc. Chief Council Lynn Chastain Honored for Impact and Commitment

Chastain to receive Junior Achievement Gold Leadership Award for more than a decade of service to Junior Achievement of Georgia

ATLANTA– Junior Achievement (JA) of Georgia announced today that Lynn Chastain, retired Chief Council, Chick-fil-A, Inc., has received the JA Gold Leadership Award. Chastain currently serves on the JA of Georgia Executive Committee and formerly served as Chair of the Board of Directors.

 “Lynn is so deserving of this award, and we are incredibly proud and honored that she is one of this year’s recipients,’ said John Hancock, President and CEO, JA of Georgia. “Lynn’s dedication to our mission has resulted in an incredible impact on the students of our state, and we are so fortunate to have her insight and passion.”

This award is the highest recognition bestowed by Junior Achievement USA and is presented to JA volunteers who have gone above and beyond in their dedication to deliver JA programs in their communities, and may also dedicate their valuable time to serving on local JA boards. This year’s eight recipients from across the nation contribute a variety of ideals including creativity, effectiveness and drive, but most importantly, a deep a commitment the future of our next generation.

Chastain’s involvement with JA of Georgia began in 2002 as the lead for Chick-fil-A volunteer efforts, and she has served on the Board of Directors since 2008, spearheading the group as Board Chair from 2017-2019. She has been one of the organization’s most prominent and important thought leaders over the past decade, a time in which the organization saw tremendous change and growth. Student numbers, contact hours, board size, staff size and budget all increased tremendously during the time of Lynn’s active service.

More importantly, the organization’s change initiatives refocused the mission and brand during that time. Lynn has overseen the creation of four capstone centers and the launch of 3DE Schools by Junior Achievement, and along the way has been a tireless advocate for this work. She has also been a steady voice for excellence in these new operational models and insisted on building long-term plans to ensure sustainability.

Chastain is deeply committed to people; their education, their advancement and their dignity. This is seen in the way she led the Legal Team at Chick-fil-A and certainly in the way she led at JA. From interactions with fellow directors, to members of the staff to the students served, Chastain led with humility and integrity. She works from a servant mindset and is all about promoting growth and opportunity for all.

Chastain will be recognized for this achievement on March 25 at the annual JA USA Volunteer Summit.

Twenty years as a JA volunteer and the inspiration and joy are still evolving

This post appeared on Penske’s blog as a part of their “50 Stories of People Helping People” series.

Penske Logistics Recruiter Celebrates 20 Years as Junior Achievement Volunteer

Not many 15-year-olds can say their first job was on Wall Street processing multimillion-dollar checks in the center of the world’s financial district.

Yet for Penske Logistics Recruiter Karen Francis, who always thought she would have a career in radio, that experience set her on a path to a successful career in finance.

Francis credits mentors – like her teachers and high school counselor – who helped her to recognize her talents and explore new possibilities. For the past 20 years, she has been able to do the same for a new generation of students as a Junior Achievement volunteer.

“All of those influences had a positive effect in my life. It opened me up to the understanding that I had options,” said Francis, who is based in Atlanta and donates her time to the Junior Achievement of Georgia. “If a young person is never exposed to multiple possibilities in life, they could get kind of lost.”

As the nation paused this week – National Volunteer Week – to honor the dedication of millions of people helping people, organizations like Junior Achievement say volunteers like Francis play a crucial role in helping to fulfill their mission.

“For us as an organization, volunteers are crucial,” said Maria Uribe, associate, volunteer recruiter and coordinator for Junior Achievement of Georgia. “We are very lucky to have Karen as part of the JA family.”

Empowering the Next Generation of Students

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Junior Achievement (JA), which began in response to societal changes.

As families moved from farms to industrial cities, JA’s focus was to provide young people with the skills they would need to become successful adults in their new surroundings.

JA has evolved from operating mostly in the Northeast teaching teens how to start a business. The organization reaches more than 10 million students in 100 countries promoting entrepreneurship, career and work readiness and financial literacy, according to Junior Achievement USA.

“As JA continues to grow and evolve, one of our pillars is staying true to the times. JA has been around for 100 years, and one of the ways we have been able to do that is to keep up with the evolution of business and technology,” Uribe said.

This allows JA to help meet its goal of preparing students to succeed in the global economy.

Part of that evolution has been JA taking learning beyond the classroom to infuse authenticity and relevance into the academic experience.

A centerpiece to the JA programming in Georgia centers on three Junior Achievement Discovery Centers that house JA BizTown and JA Finance Park, hands-on business simulations geared toward middle school students.

“Upon completion of the curriculum, the students and educators get to come to a JA Discovery Center, a simulation space which is modeled after the real world they see every day,” Uribe said. “All of that traditional learning that happens in the classroom with worksheets, lectures, and homework is transformed into experiential hands-on learning in a one-day simulation experience.”

This is where the role of volunteers like Francis take center stage.

“Our volunteers work with a small group of students to really support them and bring the relevancy of the real world to really dive deep into those conversations that surround financial management, teamwork, communication, collaboration – all of those soft skills,” Uribe said.

JA BizTown allows students to gain experience in real-world learning as they move through the life cycle of business operation from launching a business in the morning to closing the business at the end of the day.

Volunteers like Francis are on hand to provide assistance to the students. “We wouldn’t be able to do what we do without volunteers like Karen,” Uribe said.

Mentoring Future Business Leaders

Francis was able to work with students earlier this week during a JA BizTown simulation. It was her first time mentoring students as they received their first taste of what it was like to run a business.

“To see these middle school students start a business and run it was thrilling,” Francis said. “Students discovered very early on that teamwork was the only way that the businesses could succeed.”

The students also learned how to manage their own personal finances.

“Each student was paid a salary and were allowed to go shopping to understand how to manage their money. The directive was to save, spend and give,” Francis said. “Some did an excellent job, while others went to the bank to ask for a personal loan because they didn’t understand the concept of saving.”

Francis applauded the JA BizTown experience because it contributes to the students’ work readiness, while also allowing them to maneuver in the larger global economy.

“Exposing them to entrepreneurship – being able to kind of chart your own career – makes a big difference and has a huge influence on them,” Francis said.

For Francis, her reward is found in the joy of students participating in events like JA BizTown and hearing about the good fortune of students she mentored in years past.

“I am all over social media because of what I do. When you see someone you mentored or had some part to play and they are graduating from college or telling you how they are doing, there is no better thing for me,” Francis said.

“Just seeing someone actually try to do what they love to do or something they never thought about doing, it is kind of an unspeakable thing,” she said. “It’s joy, just pure joy.”

By Berine Mixon

Why volunteer with JA of Georgia?

"I enjoy this opportunity to give back to the students in our city, and to develop their financial literacy and core business skills, which are needed to succeed in today's ever-changing world."

Ben Ansell, Senior Consultant, Deloitte

"My students see the value in the program, and realize their ability to serve our community without writing a check."

Leigh Keever, Professor, Chattahoochee Technical College

"I volunteer with JA of Georgia because it changes lives, plain and simple.

Patrick Ready, Senior Consultant, Deloitte

"Volunteering with JA of Georgia allows me to share my experiences with students in hopes of fostering their limitless potential."

Muriam Nagess, Volunteer Coordinator, Gwinnett County Government

"I see so much potential in every student that I work with, and I believe that everyone can do great things."

Bobby Nguyen, Junior, Georgia Gwinnett College

"While most adults deal with money every day, financial education is not something that is offered to most of our children. This is an opportunity for me to serve my community by helping young people learn skills that will be useful to them for the rest of their lives.

Crystal Grier, Administrative Assistant, Wells Fargo

"I believe this program provides an unmatched experience for students and future leaders. Over the years I have been able to share and gain so much knowledge."

Fred Brooks, Project Manager, Hewlett Packard Enterprise

"I enjoy helping children learn and prepare for their future. The most enjoyable part is seeing how excited and engaged the students are during their time at JA. That excitement and genuine interest they have while at JA keeps me coming back for more.

Dave Reese, Indirect Lending Officer, BrandAuto Finance President, BrandBank