Katherine Cecala’s entrepreneurial journey is deeply rooted in her passion for making a positive impact on the world and her drive to help others. She was raised to embrace the idea that she had an obligation to make things better and to leave things better than she found them.
Following college, Cecala started a career in industrial engineering and her passion for continuous improvement led her to pursue further dedication, serve on more than 45 nonprofit boards, and take on the position as the chief operating officer of the Valley of the Sun United Way. She now serves as the president of Junior Achievement of Arizona where she has been instrumental in the organization’s growth since 2015.
Junior Achievement of Arizona (JA) is a nonprofit organization that equips Arizona students to succeed in work and life by giving them the knowledge and skills they need to manage their money, plan for their future, and make smart academic, career, and economic choices. Since 1957, JA has taught kids, kindergarten through age 25, about financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. The organization’s hands-on programs are delivered by 7,500 corporate and community volunteers and serve more than 170,000 students each school year.
In her role, Cecala began by restructuring the board and bylaws and within nine months, the board attendance jumped to 78% and board giving tripled. In the last year, Cecala and her team were able to raise over $7 million in revenue and have expanded programming throughout the state with new initiatives such as JA Money in Motion.
“Through her journey, Katherine exemplifies how a combination of passion, continuous learning, and dedication to service can lead to impactful entrepreneurship in both the nonprofit and corporate sectors,” said her staff. “Katherine’s story underscores the importance of aligning personal values with professional endeavors and leveraging diverse skills and experiences to affect positive change in the world.”
Under Cecala’s leadership, JA was named a best place to work and she has been recognized with awards such as the Capitol Times women of achievement, most admired leader by Phoenix Business Journal, and women who move the valley by Arizona Foothills Magazine.
If Cecala could give her younger self advice, it would be: “Remember that your career journey is a marathon, not a sprint,” she said. “You don’t have to have everything figured out right now and it’s okay to explore different paths and try new things. Be willing to step outside of your comfort zone and try things that may seem unfamiliar or unexpected.”
