Sixty seconds with Hunter Pierce

How does your role fit into the organization as a whole?

I am honored to serve JA of Georiga by giving students the opportunity to learn from volunteers at the JA Discovery Centers.  These individuals represent grown-ups from all walks of life who are willing to share their stories and experience with students as they participate at the JA Discovery Centers. My role is to steward these individuals, help them see their value, and help them gain the personal and professional development skills that comes from philanthropic giving of time and treasure. So, basically, my role is to invite great people to the JA Discovery Centers to help inspire our future leaders! 

What’s the most challenging part of your job?

My inspiration has been fueled by the stories I hear and the students whose lives have been changed by the simulations. The passion that lives in my heart undoubtedly comes out when I am doing recruitment events, or speaking one-on-one with a volunteer. So my biggest challenge is really more of an opportunity: to work with volunteer champions (what we call the point of contacts from an organization) to help them convey that same passion to their colleagues and our students. 

What do you like most about your role?

My two favorite times of the day are the morning and the afternoon of a volunteer day.  In the morning, most volunteers are a combination of excited and unsure about what will come of their day. We like to make them laugh and help set their minds at ease. We are given the unique opportunity to help people build new personal and professional relationships while volunteering.  I enjoy watching people make friends and make connections throughout the Gwinnett community during the morning arrival time.  I also love seeing a show of hands of how many return volunteers we have! In the afternoon, the volunteers share their stories about the day.  The stories are funny, heart war,, life changing, and inspiring.  Every volunteer debrief is a reminder of why we are here! Who says volunteers can’t have those “ah-ha moments” too?! 

What motivates you?

Service! Sharing those one-on-one conversations with volunteers after their day or reading an email that says “thank you for having me…truly changed my life” keeps me going. So many adults walk the earth thinking that they have nothing to give.  Serving others through our talent or treasure can help us find our worth and I am happy when someone finds their individual value in Service.

Advice for the next generation?

If you find a role or a field that you are truly passionate about, you will watch yourself excel professionally and personally.  It’s never too late to begin listening to your heart and becoming a more compassionate and hardworking person…just never forget why you are here and that you can make a difference.

JA of Georgia names Juan A. McGruder SVP & Chief Development Officer

Experienced leader joins at a time of significant expansion

Atlanta, GA —  Junior Achievement (JA) of Georgia announces Juan A. McGruder as Senior Vice President & Chief Development Officer, a new position.  McGruder comes to JA from Georgia Tech, where he has served most recently as Director of Development for the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

“Juan’s experience as a highly effective leader and his reputation for relationship-building made him an ideal candidate to lead JA’s development efforts across Georgia,” noted Jack Harris, President and CEO of JA of Georgia.  “We have experienced significant expansion in recent years, and we are confident Juan’s innovative approach to development will help us continue on this trajectory and deepen our engagement with current partners.”

Empowering students nationally since 1919 and locally since 1949, JA of Georgia creates more effective pipelines to economic opportunity through the development and integration of public-private partnership models that bring innovation to public education. Today, JA of Georgia is widely known for its capstone learning models, JA BizTown®, JA Finance Park® and JA Academy™, all of which enrich the student experience to make it more relevant, experiential and authentically connected to life beyond the classroom walls.    

“I am beyond thrilled,” said McGruder.  “This is a pivotal time for Junior Achievement and the thousands of students it serves, and I feel blessed to have been asked to help expand JA’s influence and impact in its quest to empower today’s students.”

“Georgia Tech provided me unparalleled opportunities for over a dozen years,” continued McGruder, “and I loved being part of a top tier university during the most successful and transformative fundraising campaign in its history.  Junior Achievement’s commitment to ‘Preparing today’s students for tomorrow’s economy’ is a natural and very exciting extension of that work.”

In announcing Juan’s departure from Georgia Tech, Ivan Allen College Dean Jacqueline Royster noted his considerable accomplishments, adding “[Juan’s] leadership in civic and professional organizations such as the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Georgia Center for Nonprofits, Midtown Atlanta Rotary Club, and even as a recent faculty member at LaGrange College’s Master’s program in Philanthropy and Development has simply attracted attention beyond our campus borders.  He has made a difference here, and he will be missed.”

In discussing the appointment, Harris cited the new SVP’s strengths in resource development and outreach.  “Juan McGruder’s background stretches across every major funding stream:  corporate strategic partnerships, major gifts/individuals, comprehensive capital campaigns, annual funds, foundations, and events.  He understands the art and the science of development, and he will bring sophistication, strategy and planning into our organization from day one.”

A Texas native, Juan received his BA in Political Science/Pre Law and his MA in Counseling & Human Development from Clark College/Clark Atlanta University.  He subsequently earned his Master of Education (Ed.M.) in Administration, Planning, & Social Policy from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in Education and Human Development from Vanderbilt University.  He is also a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE).  Among many professional involvements, Juan is president of the Greater Atlanta chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and president-designate of Rotary Club of Midtown Atlanta.  He and his wife Henraya McGruder, an epidemiologist at the CDC, reside in Smyrna with their two children, Alex and Hailey.

Juan McGruder’s LinkedIn profile can be accessed here.  For further information on JA of Georgia, visit georgia.ja.org.

JA of Georgia was advised throughout the search process by BoardWalk Consulting, an Atlanta-based firm committed to “finding leaders that matter for missions that matter.”®

Staff Spotlight: Niambi Sampson

Sampson receiving her certification of participation in the EPFP

Niambi Sampson is the Vice President of Programs at JA of Georgia, and has been with the organization for eight years. She has held various positions throughout her time, and continues to help achieve our mission of preparing today's students for tomorrow's economy.

Her favorite thing about working for JA of Georgia is working with the districts to make sure all students have access to life changing programs.

"They really are dedicated, passionate people who work tirelessly for their students. So working with them, on behalf of kids, is awesome!" Sampson said.

Sampson recently completed the Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP), a national professional development program sponsored by the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) that provides potential leaders with the knowledge and networks to advance the core issues of education policy.

According to their website, EPFP is an initiative of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education and is co-sponsored by the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University and the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach at the University of Georgia. The program connects potential educational leaders with one another to build the capacity for our state to raise the bar for student learning and achievement.

It addresses the need for an education leadership development program in the state to provide potential leaders with the knowledge and networks to advance the core issues of education policy. It serves as a critical resource for individuals, organizations and the state to increase the knowledge about education policy and linkages between policy and practice. Ultimately EPEP seeks to improve the chances of children and youth to succeed.

"Being in the Education Policy Fellowship Program unveiled the many inputs that affect the output of an excellent education," said Sampson. "It reinforced my foundational belief that schools will never succeed alone. It takes that proverbial village to even scratch the surface of what is needed to educate a child."