Leadership
Jennifer Pennell-Aslinger President - Leadership
Jennifer Pennell-Aslinger joined the staff at Jr Achievement of the Ocoee Region in October of 2017. After almost 20 years in banking she serves as President of the organization that teaches students about workforce readiness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship. She is married with 2 dogs and enjoys spending time with her nieces and nephews.
After graduating from Bradley Central High, Pennell-Aslinger received an associate of science degree from Cleveland State Community College. She has volunteered with Jr Achievement for the past 19 years and has served on the board since 2010.
A native of Bradley County, Pennell-Aslinger enjoys sharing her enthusiasms for helping others prepare for their financial future and loves helping students in grades K-12 in Bradley, Meigs, McMinn, Monroe, and Polk counties.
Melissa Gunnell Events & Administration Assistant - Development
Mrs. Melissa Gunnell coordinates our two annual signature fundraising events: JAs Bowl for Education in March and our 5K Race to Achieve in August. The funds raised from these events are used to support our programming, as well as to educate and inform the community about JAs impact in the five counties we serve. Melissa works to create partnerships with the community by sharing opportunities to get engaged through participation, fundraising, corporate sponsorships, and in-kind donations supporting JA of the Ocoee Region. Melissa works closely with JAORs president and board of directors in our Annual Campaign.
Melissa is a native of Spartanburg, South Carolina. She is a graduate of Converse College, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration. Melissa worked in public accounting for over 12 years in SC. She has homeschooled her two sons for several years as well as worked in a private Christian school in Spartanburg as a substitute teacher and volunteer coordinator. Melissa moved to Cleveland, TN in 2011.
Melissa joined Jr. Achievement of the Ocoee Region in August of 2015. she is married and has two sons and a daughter in-law. She is a member of First Baptist Church of Cleveland. Where she sings in the choir and serves in other ministries of the church.
Monty Montgomery JA Programs Manager - Education
Monty is a native of Cleveland. After graduating from Bradley Central High School, he earned his Bachelors degree while being a student athlete at Carson Newman. He has worked in both the nonprofit and private sector of education and career development for 10 years.
He is married to Kristy Montgomery and they have four children. His family is an active member of First Baptist Church, where they were called to teach a class for parents of teens. He
looking forward to assisting the students of our 5 counties of the Ocoee Region.
Monty joins Junior Achievement of the Ocoee Region as the programs manager. Monty will work closely with Educator and volunteers throughout the Ocoee Region to bring JA programs into the classroom.
We use cookies to provide you a personalized experience. How we do this is by analyzing user behavior on our site and sharing data with our advertising and analytics partners. You consent to our cookie policy if you continue to use this website.