Jeannette Balleza Collins joins national nonprofit Right to Start

Kansas City, Mo.-based Right to Start, a national nonprofit organization focused on advancing entrepreneurship, has hired Jeannette Balleza Collins of Fayetteville to lead initiatives in America’s heartland.

According to a news release issued Thursday (April 25), Collins’ work as heartland coalition manager will focus on Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma.

“I am beyond thrilled to take on this new role at Right to Start,” Collins said. “America’s Heartland is home to me, and I am eager to help grow support systems and remove barriers for entrepreneurs in the middle of the nation. I look forward to knitting Right to Start’s initiatives together across state borders.”

A Little Rock native, Collins has a long work resume in Northwest Arkansas’ entrepreneurial ecosystem. She co-founded Grit Studios in Bentonville, an innovation community facilitating access and connections for high-impact, later-stage startup companies. She also was managing director of The ARK Challenge technology accelerator program with Innovate Arkansas at Winrock International, was a founding team member at Startup Junkie, and co-founded Tonic Regional Funds.

She is a board director or advisor to several groups, including FemHealth Founders, EforAll Northwest Arkansas and Creative Arkansas Community Hub & Exchange (CACHE).

Most recently, Collins was the entrepreneurial development director for the Northwest Arkansas Council. The influential nonprofit creates regional strategic plans to drive economic and quality-of-life initiatives critical to the area’s growth. Among her notable achievements was helping orchestrate a two-state collaboration between the council and Tulsa Innovation Labs to promote regionally focused programs to advance inclusive entrepreneurship in future logistics and advanced mobility.

“We are excited that Jeannette Balleza Collins has joined Right to Start to orchestrate our work in America’s Heartland,” said Victor W. Hwang, founder and CEO of Right to Start. “She is a long-time friend of Right to Start and played a key role in helping jumpstart our work by introducing us to many of our advocates in Northwest Arkansas.

“She brings extraordinary experience and expertise in building support systems for entrepreneurship, and her passion, energy, intellect, and creativity will be assets for our organization throughout these five states.”

Right to Start launched its entrepreneurship initiative in Northwest Arkansas in 2021. Kim Lane, formerly executive director of The Conductor in Conway, is Right to Start’s chief operating officer and is based in Conway.