December 2021 Issue
Chair's Corner
As we end 2021, I hope that you are in good health and have plans to celebrate the Holidays with your family and friends. On behalf of the JASAN Executive Committee, I wish you the very best Holiday Season.

Our committees have been busy making sure that we live up to our mission: to provide a network for staff alumni and to further the mission of JA USA. We have exciting news on both fronts.

  • In addition to our Facebook group and newsletter, we will have a Zoom gathering in February where we can see you in person. I hope to see you there! Our November gathering was a huge success.

  • I hope you will consider a year-end gift to JASAN to further our mission.

  • Planning is underway for JASAN to have its Annual Meeting at the JA USA National Leadership Conference in Fort Worth, TX. Our meeting days are not set yet, but they will be sometime during the week of July 11, 2022. Please consider joining us.

  • A group of oral histories has been posted on our website. Take a look to learn more about these mentors and leaders.

We are planning a great 2022 of connection and commitment.

Best wishes, 
John
John Weil, Chair
Building for the Future: JASAN Annual Campaign

Did you know that JASAN has committed to providing funding to send 175 JA staff members to the national conference over the next three years? As a member of JASAN, you know that professional development, through experiences like the national conference, is vital to keeping JA associates energized and engaged in the valuable work JA does for k-12 students.
 
With that generous pledge, JASAN is in the middle of raising the necessary funding to fulfill this promise, and we need your help. Will you consider a gift to JASAN to help us Build the Future of JA?
 
For those of you who have donated in the past, we appreciate your support and hope you will consider renewing, or even increasing, your annual gift. For those members who haven’t yet donated to JASAN, please consider donating “a buck a year” – one dollar for each year you were employed with JA. Any gift you make will be used to support JASAN operations and fund scholarships like this one. You can make a secure online donation by clicking right here.

Thank you so much for your years of service to Junior Achievement and your support!

Brad Kaufmann, Chair, Development Committee
Connect Success
As we wrap up 2021, we celebrate and are grateful for our JASAN members! Did you know we have over 300 members in 41 states and yes, even a few international members too?!
 
We hear it time and time again, connecting and staying in touch with each other is important to this network, and we do that in a few different ways...newsletters, website, Facebook group, LinkedIn, emails, and most recently Connection Zoom Calls. Two Connection Calls happened in November, and we had nearly 40 faces join in the conversation to catch up with each other. We look forward to hosting another set of calls in February, and we hope to see you then! 
 
If you know of a former JA colleague who had five or more years of service – let us know at jastaffalumninetwork@gmail.com. We’d love to contact them and have even more members!
 
Happy Holidays and Cheers to a New Year from your JASAN Membership Committee!! 

Tami Godsey, Chair, Membership Committee
Have a Little Time and Want to Learn About Our Past?
We all know that Horace Moses was one of the founders of JA. Many know that James Cash Penney was also a founder of JA. A few might know that Mr. Penney was also a founder of 4H! In his note, John mentioned that we’ve just posted some newly written transcriptions and the audio recordings of interviews with leaders who came before us.
 
You will find the stories of our leaders and mentors inspiring and enlightening. We have transcripts from many that were recorded in the early 2000s, and we need your help to edit these so that we can post them as well.
 
Please join the team to preserve our history. It is a task that does not take a lot of time, and you will learn things about JA that you didn’t know before. In the words of some of our editors, “that was fun!”; “I had no idea about this part of our history”. Please let me know if you're able to help us.

Elaine Saunders, Chair, History Committee
Jack Holladay, served as Chief Staff Officer in Austin, TX, and Washington DC. He also served as Regional Vice President in the Eastern and Western Regions and various positions at the JA National Office. He was involved in the development of JA’s in-school programs from their inception.
Get Involved!
There are many ways to be involved with the JA Staff Alumni Network. We hope you'll take a minute to complete the Committee Interest Form.