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Our Staff

Leadership

Bernadine Venditto

Bernadine Venditto

President & CEO

Full Bio

Bernadine Venditto joined Junior Achievement of Greater Fairfield County in the fall of 2005 as a Program Manager and was promoted to President in July 2008. Most recently, she has led the organization through a successful merger with JA of Southwest Connecticut. Bernadine holds a B.A. in International Trade from Hofstra University.

Development

Nick Hoffman

Development Director

Full Bio

Nick Hoffman joined the Junior Achievement team in May of 2023. He brings twenty years of experience in the nonprofit sector developing programs and leading fundraising efforts in the areas of mental health, violence prevention and conservation. He holds a master’s degree in nonprofit administration from Louisiana State University at Shreveport.

Rachel Andoh

Development Operations Manager

Full Bio

Rachel Andoh joined Junior Achievement in 2014 as the Special Events Manager and Executive Assistant, and in 2018, she transitioned to the role of Donor Relations Manager. Prior to JA, Rachel worked in the solar energy sector for six years, in an administrative and marketing capacity. Rachel earned her B.A. from McDaniel College.

Alisa Jankowitz

Major Gift Officer

Full Bio

Alisa Jankowitz joined JA of Greater Fairfield County in 2018 as Special Events Manager. She oversees all logistics and fundraising for special events throughout the year, including the Business Hall of Fame, Golf Tournaments, Stock Market Challenge and Bowl-a-Thon events.  Prior to JA, Alisa spent many years working in hospitality; leading a sales team in the wine business, managing NY restaurants, and most recently was a Food & Beverage Director of a premier yacht club. Alisa earned a Business Administration degree from the University of Rhode Island, with a major in Marketing and minor in Italian.

Laura Stern

Senior Grants Officer

Full Bio

Laura Stern joined the staff of Junior Achievement in February 2020. Laura has many years of professional experience in development, communications, and project management, both in nonprofit and for-profit settings. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Smith College and a master’s degree from the Bard Graduate Center.

Elise Sullivan

Special Events Manager

Full Bio

Elise Sullivan joined the Junior Achievement team in February 2020 after spending 5 months working in Orlando, FL as a part of the Disney College Program. She graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree in Public Relations from Fairfield University in May 2019. Elise helps with special events, as well as maintain our website design and social media channels. 

Education

Tiffany Stewart

Education Director

Full Bio

Tiffany Stewart joined Junior Achievement in July 2022. Equipped with degrees from both Howard & Harvard University, Tiffany’s writing has been featured in multimillion-dollar companies and in grants that have resulted in multimillion-dollar funding. 

An educator turned entrepreneur, Tiffany spent 7 years as a School Administrator and Leadership Coach in the NYC Public School System. Her expertise is around curriculum design, social emotional development, and youth advocacy. She has built several educational programs that have increased student literacy achievement and coached principals throughout NYC in how to lead diverse communities.

She is also the author of two books, “Jewels From a Black Diamond” and  “No Saving Me for Later.”

Twanda McAlister

Education Manager

Full Bio

Twanda McAlister joined JA in October of 2019, as District Manager of the Bridgeport area. Prior to joining JA, Twanda worked in various fields of management. Her most recent role was as a Product Manager working for global trade show company, Reed Exhibitions. There, she managed a broad spectrum of portfolios, ranging from building and development, to the jewelry and security industries. She has mentored, taught, and coached young people in the areas of art, public speaking, and building life skills; enforcing the importance of self-empowerment and personal success.

Kristine Dovale

Education Manager

Full Bio

Kristine Dovale joined the JA team in October 2019 and works closely with the JA Education Team to deliver JA programs to local youth. Prior to JA, Kristine had 10+ years experience in the real estate industry, working for the Northern Fairfield County Association for Realtors. She worked with over 2,000 real estate agents in northern Fairfield County, and planned fundraising and membership events, as well as ensuring that educational requirements were maintained.

Operations

Lisa Benjamin Sette

Executive Assistant

Full Bio

Lisa Sette joined Junior Achievement in 2021 in the role of Executive Assistant. Prior to JA she had been Executive Assistant at MMRF (Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation)  and was 15 years at General Electric Capital & Corporate positions.  Lisa earned her B.S. from Ithaca College in Business & Public Relations.