Junior Achievement of North Florida Adds Seven New Members to its Board of Directors

Jacksonville, Fla., – Junior Achievement of North Florida has named seven new members to its board of directors. Nader Farhat, Patty Keenan, Jennifer Kirouac, Mike Knox, Shehani Ranadewa, Trish Skoglund and Shatara Troy have joined the board.

“We welcome everyone to the board and look forward to working together to achieve our mission of inspiring and preparing young people to succeed,” said Shannon Italia, president of JA of North Florida. “Each person brings experience and skill to their new role that will help guide our organization and drive results that increase our impact on students in Northeast Florida.”

Three of the new members come from the banking industry. Jennifer Kirouac has more than 25 years in banking and is currently the vice president, senior business banking relationship manager for First Horizon Bank. Kirouac has a passion for financial education and literacy and is excited to become a part of the JA of North Florida board as she has seen so many people throughout her career that have benefited from JA programs. Mike Knox is the senior vice president/senior relationship manager for PNC Financial Services and has been a volunteer for JA. He said that experience made him realize JA was the perfect outlet for him to give back to the community and positively impact young people’s perceptions about the importance of education and life skills. Shehani Ranadewa, an AVP with Deutsche Bank, also started with JA as a volunteer and has helped to coordinate several JA fundraisers. Ranadewa said teaching a JA class for a day allowed her to see firsthand the positive impact that JA programs have on students.

Nader Farhat is the managing partner of the Jacksonville office for pWc and says he truly cares about school children and believes we all can make a difference in their lives. Patty Keenan is the chief learning officer for Miller Electric Company and founded an executive coaching firm where she coached CEOs and their executive teams for more than 15 years. Keenan realizes the importance of community leaders doing their part to build for future generations.

Trish Skoglund is the director of mergers and acquisitions with Crowley. She said she is looking forward to being part of an organization that provides resources to young kids to learn about the career and financial opportunities that are available to them, regardless of their socio-economic background. Shatara Troy is a JA alumna who currently serves as both the COO of Harbor View Advisors and the managing director of the firm’s consulting practice area. Troy participated in JA as a high school student in the Bahamas. She said the program provided one of her first experiences with entrepreneurship, strategy, and mentorship. Troy said JA sparked something in her that continues to guide her career and community involvement. She said she looks forward to helping ignite that same spark in a new generation of future leaders.

“We are excited to have these new members who understand and believe in what JA can do for the community and our young people,” said Meg Rose, JA of North Florida board chair. “We are at a critical time in the life of our organization and desire to expand our board with people who reflect the communities we serve and can help to drive our strategic initiatives related to growth and impact, particularly in the areas of financial literacy and work readiness.”

The seven members are now part of a board made up of 36 community leaders who volunteer their time to help promote and enhance the mission of JA of North Florida.

About Junior Achievement of North Florida

We envision a world where young people have the skillset and mindset to build thriving communities. Junior Achievement is the world’s largest organization dedicated to educating students about workforce readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs. Our volunteers, educators and supporters inspire and prepare students to succeed through learning experiences that focus on three sets of critical life skills that are not always taught in schools. Since 1963, Junior Achievement of North Florida has been delivering JA learning experiences that help young people reach their potential. To learn more about Junior Achievement of North Florida, visit www.janfl.org.