Empowering Futures: Thank You to the Iowa Department of Insurance and Financial Services

Author: Seherzada Devedzic
Community Involvement
Published: Friday, 08 Aug 2025

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Image caption: (From left to right) JA’s Shannon Gerard, Heather Kriener from the Iowa Department of Insurance and Financial Services, and JA’s Ryan Osborn and Jenna Hull showcase JA’s classroom kits, highlighting the tools that bring financial literacy to life for students in Central Iowa.

At Junior Achievement of Central Iowa, we believe in empowering young people to create a bright future. That’s why we’re thrilled to spotlight the outstanding support of the Iowa Department of Insurance and Financial Services during the 2024- 2025 school year.

Their generous partnership goes far beyond just numbers on a page. It translates directly to real-world impact for students across Central Iowa. With their support, over 645 JA K-5 classroom kits were delivered to classrooms across Central Iowa and five full days of our JA BizTown In-A-Day summer camp program were fully underwritten. This empowering support helped ensure students could participate in JA’s hands-on learning experiences at no cost to schools or families.

Image caption: The Iowa Department of Insurance and Financial Services' James Johnson, Superintendent of Banking, helped bring the JA BizTown experience to life by swearing in the newly elected Mayor and District Attornys during one of the JA BizTown In-a-Day.

This Summer, 410 Central Iowa students attended JA BizTown In-a-Day. Through this immersive, real-world simulation, students stepped into the shoes of business leaders, employees, and citizens, learning how to run a business, manage budgets, and actively contribute to an economy.

As part of this unique experience, representatives from the Iowa Department of Insurance and Financial Services helped bring the JA BizTown experience to life by swearing in each day’s elected student mayors and district attorney. These special guests included Chance McElhaney, Iowa Insurance Division COO; Heather Kreiner, Financial Literacy Director and James Johnson, Superintendent of Banking, each of whom generously volunteered their time across all five days of programming.

Additionally, 13,263 students in classrooms across Central Iowa engaged in JA programs this year, building critical skills for their future. Students enhanced their knowledge in financial literacy, career readiness, and decision-making, thanks to the continued support of the Iowa Department of Insurance and Financial Services.

Image caption: Iowa Department of Insurance and Financial Services' Craig Robinson and Heather Kreiner proudly display's the company of the year award along side JA's Ryan and Shannon.

In recognition of their incredible impact, the Iowa Department of Insurance and Financial Services was honored as JA of Central Iowa’s 2024–2025 Company of the Year. As part of the celebration Heather Kreiner was invited to throw out the first pitch at our JA Appreciation Event. She chose to share the spotlight and let her son take the honor, making it an even more memorable highlight in a year full of meaningful moments.

We are deeply grateful for the Iowa Department of Insurance and Financial Services’ commitment to preparing the next generation for success. Their support is helping shape a generation of students who are financially literate, career-ready, and empowered to lead with confidence.