August 22, 2024
Why are the organizations merging?
- Junior Achievement-Rocky Mountain (JA-Rocky Mountain) and Economic Literacy Colorado (ELC) programs complement each other, and the combination allows for a more complete approach to meeting the growing and changing needs of students, teachers, and schools.
- Together, they will leverage their combined expertise and resources to deliver high-quality educational programs to teachers and students.
What is the timeline?
- After a rigorous due diligence process, JA-Rocky Mountain’s Board of Directors voted to approve the merger during a special session on August 2, 2024.
- Economic Literacy Colorado’s Board of Directors conducted their own due diligence process. They voted to approve the merger on August 15, 2024.
- The official merger date is September 1, 2024.
- We will work quickly to integrate the organizations.
- There are several additional decisions to be addressed in 2024/25.
What will the organization’s name be?
- The combined organization will operate under the name Junior Achievement-Rocky Mountain (JA-Rocky Mountain).
- ELC’s teacher training programs will be referred to as: JA Economic Literacy Professional Development.
How do we contact the organization?
- The ELC website (www.econlitco.org) will be operational until Jan. 1, 2025 when all relevant pages will redirect to corresponding pages on www.JARockyMountain.org.
- ELC team members will work out of the JA Free Enterprise Center at 6500 Greenwood Plaza Blvd., Greenwood Village, CO 80111.
- ELC staff members will have new email addresses; the convention for those addresses is [first initial][last name]@jarockymountain.org.
ELC’s social media accounts will be deactivated in mid-October. - All the contact information for JA-Rocky Mountain will remain the same.
Will there be any staff changes?
- There will be no changes to existing JA-Rocky Mountain staff positions as a result of the merger.
- ELC President and CEO Amy Sherman will join JA-Rocky Mountain as the Vice President of Public Affairs. This is a new position for the organization.
- ELC Development Director Amanda Dixon will join JA-Rocky Mountain’s Development Team.
- ELC Education Program Director Jay LeBlanc will join JA-Rocky Mountain’s Programs Team.
- ELC Student Programs Director Molly McVeigh will join JA-Rocky Mountain’s Capstone Programs Team.
Will there be any changes to programming?
- JA-Rocky Mountain programs provided in the past will continue to be offered at no cost to students and schools.
- ELC’s university-accredited graduate-level continuing education/professional development for educators will continue to be offered at low or no cost to teachers.
- ELC’s student and teacher scholarships will continue to be offered.
What is offered in the JA Economic Literacy Professional Development?
- There will be many opportunities for teachers to advance their economic and personal financial literacy skills through classes, workshops, and programs.
- University professors provide content and knowledge, mentor teachers deliver the pedagogy with grade-appropriate lesson plans, and teachers walk away with high-quality instructional materials and hands-on activities for use with their students.
- Trained teachers are better equipped to prepare students to achieve personal financial sustainability and self-sufficiency.
- Teacher training programs will be available in-person, virtually, and through a hybrid model.
Why are some of ELC’s student programs being discontinued?
- ELC’s Stock Market Experience is being discontinued because JA-Rocky Mountain offers several programs about investing, including the JA Stock Market Challenge.
- JA-Rocky Mountain will learn from ELC’s experience with the Invest In Girls program and adapt current programs accordingly to build on their success.
- We are actively sharing information with ELC teachers about JA-Rocky Mountain programs that will even better engage students about economics and personal financial literacy.
How can I support the organization?
- Volunteer your time
- Share your experience through JA classroom programs
- Volunteer for one of JA’s experiential programs
- Participate in a fundraising event
- Invest in our community’s future
- Make an individual contribution
- Become a corporate sponsor of a program or event
- Host an event at the JA Free Enterprise Center
- Invite others to engage
- Refer a friend or colleague
- Inform us of networking or speaking opportunities
- Introduce JA staff to potential partners
- Inform the educators in your life about the opportunities provided
- For more information, contact Kristi Shaffer at KShaffer@JARockyMountain.org.
Where can I learn more about the merger?
- The organizations will communicate additional information as it becomes available by email and through their websites (https://www.JARockyMountain.org/ and https://econlitco.org/).
