Junior Achievement of Arkansas promotes Tonya Villines to president

Little Rock-based nonprofit Junior Achievement of Arkansas has promoted Tonya Villines of Benton to president. Villines will manage the work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy programs that currently reach more than 14,000 K-12 students in the state.

Villines has been the program manager for Junior Achievement since 2010. She fills the role previously held by Angele Forrest, who resigned Aug. 24 after a year as president.

“We are excited about the appointment of Tonya Villines,” board chair Dawn Bachman, a senior director with Walmart Inc., said in a news release. “Tonya’s leadership and in-depth knowledge of Junior Achievement will be a great asset to our organization.”

Villines, according to the release, has more than 22 years of nonprofit management experience, working in local and statewide positions.

She began her career in 1994 with Benton State Bank as a branch manager. She later served in several roles with the Benton Chamber of Commerce and then children’s ministry coordinator at Fellowship Bible Church-Saline County.

During her eight years with Junior Achievement, Villines has created new public-private partnerships focused on teaching young people about money, work and business ownership, and brought the organization to new markets around the state. She has been a driving force in youth entrepreneurship, according to the release, and has forged partnerships with the state’s entrepreneurial support organizations.

Villines serves on serves on the Little Rock Central High School Advisory Board and the Maumelle High School Advisory Board.