What You Didn’t Know About Ed Grenier
Title: President/CEO, Junior Achievement of Greater Washington since 1996
Organization: Inspires the next generation to navigate its path to the American Dream through financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship programs to 53,000 k-12 students. Org includes 4,000 volunteers; 25 employees; $5M operating budget.
Latest news: Broke ground on second JA Finance Park in Landover, MD. When complete in 2015, every 8th grader in Prince George’s County (9,000 annually) will spend a full day as an adult with a career, salary and family, budgeting their monthly expenses in a digital environment. Just got final approval for a third facility in Montgomery County, MD, that will serve over 7,000 annually.
Biggest challenges: Building the capacity and resources, including volunteers, to meet a huge demand for empowering an entire generation of young people in the DC region with tools for their future success.
Proudest moment: Opening JA Finance Park in Fairfax, VA, in October 2010. Former Fed Reserve chair Ben Bernanke cut the ribbon. As the economy was imploding, we knew we had to emerge as the leader to teach kids about finances.
Best lesson: Have great people moving together as a team.
Inspiration to work in nonprofits: Older sister was born blind and grew up with a mom who wrapped her arms around the issue through nonprofit work.
Grew up: Adelphi, MD.
Current home: Rockville.
School: Villanova.
First job: Window washing and stock boy for small grocery store.
Job in another life: Run a big marina. (I love boating.)
Person to meet: Great-great-grandparents.
Daily habit: Early morning yard work. I have a big garden and that’s my quiet time.
Favorite book: The E-Myth by Michael Gerber.
Favorite movies: Jaws and Titanic.
Favorite vacation: Annual family reunion in Cape Cod.
Bucket list: Salmon fishing in Alaska.
Family: Married 23 years; two daughters (ages 16 and 11); and two Havanese dogs.
Hobbies: Boating, gardening and home projects.
Startling fact: I gutted and rebuilt a 900 SF house built in 1933 in Pasadena, MD. I’ve been working the last six years to turn it into a summer home.
