JA South Western Ontario & JA Waterloo Region appoint new President and CEO

May 25, 2021 - London, ON. Junior Achievement South Western Ontario and Junior Achievement Waterloo Region are pleased to announce the appointment of Karen Gallant as President and CEO of both charters, effective May 17, 2021

 Karen is taking the reins from Bev Robinson, who will be retiring after 14 years in the post at JA South Western Ontario after having successfully strengthened the organization while steering through significant change. Robinson has also been serving as Interim President of JA Waterloo Region since March 2019.

“We’re thrilled to have Karen joining us in this role,” said Mark Russell, Chair, JA South Western Ontario Board of Directors. “She has the perfect combination of leadership and non-profit experience to continue driving the organization forward. Her depth of knowledge about Junior Achievement on a national and global scale will be a tremendous asset to us as we strive to deliver essential JA education to more and more local students.”

“I am honoured to be able to continue my work with JA in this way,” says Karen. “I’ve seen firsthand the impact JA has on students—and right now supporting their education is more important than ever.  I’m joining an incredible team of staff, volunteers, and partners—and I’m looking forward to working alongside them to build an even brighter future for students in our region.”

Karen comes to the JA charters from JA Canada where she was VP, Programs and Charter Services for more than three years.  During that time Karen made many significant contributions including advancing the nationwide digital strategy, expanding program delivery methods through the launch of jacampus.org and the creation of digital programs, and implementing national student events including Innovation Day, the JA Youth Success Summit and Company of the Year Championship. 

Prior to her work at JA Canada, Gallant was President and CEO of JA Waterloo Region.

Karen began her work in JA South Western Ontario and JA Waterloo Region last week, with Bev Robinson staying until July 1^st.

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About Junior Achievement South Western Ontario & Junior Achievement Waterloo Region

JA South Western Ontario & JA Waterloo Region are members of JA Canada and part of JA Worldwide (JA), the world’s largest not-for-profit organization dedicated to educating young people about business.  Through the delivery of hands-on, blended learning in entrepreneurship, financial literacy and work readiness, JA empowers young people to grow their entrepreneurial ideas, hone their work skills, manage their earnings, and secure better lives for themselves, their families, and their communities. 

Since 1963, schools in South Western Ontario have relied on JA to prepare young people for success in an ever-changing global economy. JA South Western Ontario is responsible for the geographic area including the counties of Essex, Chatham-Kent, Lambton, Elgin, Middlesex, Oxford, Huron, Perth, Grey, and Bruce.

Since 1970, schools in Waterloo region and surrounding areas have relied on JA to prepare young people for success in an ever-changing global economy. JA Waterloo Region is responsible for the geographic area including Waterloo Region, Guelph, Wellington, Brantford, Brant, Hamilton, Haldimand, Norfolk, and Niagara Region.

About Junior Achievement Canada

As the largest youth business education organization in Canada, JA works in partnership with educators, volunteers and businesses to education students about financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. Since 1955, JA has educated and inspired more than 5,000,000 Canadian youth, giving them the knowledge and confidence they need to succeed in school, business and life.

For more information or to arrange an interview, contact Jenne Wason, Director of Marketing & Communications at 519-352-0151 or jwason@jaswo.org