Each week on On A Mission, our host Penny Kievet talks to buzz worthy people from all over the non-profit industry. This week, Penny talks to Karen Balcanoff from St. Johns River State College.
We are a state college, which services St. Johns, Clay, and Putnam Counties, but have students from other local areas. In 2011, SJR State started the first two bachelor programs in Organizational Management and Early Childhood Education. We are the only public college in these counties and prior to this, students in our service area could not continue their education after their associate’s degree because of location and cost. I have been the Director of Organizational Management since 2011 and have helped over 250 students finish their degree and excel as community business leaders.
To learn more, please visit sjrstate.edu
Penny Kievet is no stranger to the non-profit world having spent her entire professional career as a teacher, principal, college professor, trainer and executive with the American Management Association and now the Executive Director at City Rescue Mission. Prior to her move to Florida Penny lived and worked in Heidelberg, GR, Kansas City, MO, West Des Moines, IA and New York, NY, Kievet has served on 26 for-profit and non-profit boards as director and Board Chair and has also held local, state and national offices in numerous professional organizations and currently serves on the board of Feeding Northeast Florida, Safe To Hope, Inc. and the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions national board. Some of her recent awards include: Girls Inc. Woman of Vision, The Jacksonville Business Journal’s Woman of Influence Award, 2000 Most Notable Women in the United States, Who’s Who VIP Professional, National President of Pi Kappa Delta, 100 Top Female Executives in the Southeast , National President Cross Examination Debate Association, Outstanding Women in the Mid-west, Who’s Who in Executives and Professionals and numerous sales achievement awards.
