Junior Achievement of Northern California Volunteer Receives Top National Honor

Walnut Creek, CA—Junior Achievement of Northern California (JA NorCal) announced today that Shakeya A. McDow has been chosen from more than 151,000 U.S. volunteers as one of eight recipients of the Gold Leadership Award, the organization’s most prestigious national award for volunteerism. McDow, Vice President, Ethics and Compliance Strategy, Intelligence, & Operations at Kaiser Permanente, earned her award through her exemplary work in helping students to activate the power within themselves to own their economic success.

Junior Achievement’s Gold Leadership Award honors volunteer excellence, presented in recognition of leadership in supporting and expanding JA’s student impact, resources, operational excellence, and sustainability. The Gold Leadership Awards honor the recipients’ JA volunteer service during the 2019-20 school year.

“Our local business community’s support of JA is critical to achieving our mission—to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in the global economy,” said Cristene Burr, president of JA NorCal. “Shakeya is a remarkable example of that spirit of dedication and service to others. As an alumna of Junior Achievement herself, Shakeya helps Northern California JA students get the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices.”

For the past two years, McDow has served as a mentor and keynote speaker at JA NorCal’s annual SHE Leads STEM Summit, a program designed to encourage young women to pursue careers in STEM. She also serves as a local JA NorCal board member, a volunteer position she has held since 2019. Prior to moving to the Bay Area, she also volunteered extensively with JA Dallas.

About Junior Achievement USA® (JA)

Junior Achievement is the world’s largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. JA programs are delivered by corporate and community volunteers, and provide relevant, hands-on experiences that give students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. Junior Achievement USA is a member of JA Worldwide. Visit www.ja.org for more information.

About Junior Achievement of Northern California

Since 1950, Junior Achievement of Northern California has prepared students to succeed in a global economy by connecting students, educators, and business professionals to create greater economic opportunities and career pathways for the 90,000 students served in 26 Northern and Central California counties. Visit www.janorcal.org for more information.

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