Speakers

Jordan Cressy is the Director of Impact and Innovation at Junior Achievement of Greater New Orleans. In her role, Jordan leads initiatives that connect young people to the entrepreneurial ecosystem and empower them to create change in their communities through entrepreneurship. Her work is rooted in the belief that opportunity grows when students are given not only information, but also experience; building confidence, creativity, and agency.

Over the last decade, Jordan has developed the Trust Your Crazy Ideas Challenge, a statewide entrepreneurship initiative designed to help young people take bold ideas seriously and turn them into viable business concepts. Through the Challenge, students learn how to identify a problem, design a solution, test their thinking, build a business model, and craft a pitch. Along the way, they gain practical skills in communication, collaboration, and leadership — while also discovering that their voice, ideas, and perspective matter.

The program culminates in a pitch competition that awards scholarships of up to $15,000, made possible through a partnership with The Brees Foundation. Jordan also helped develop the JA StartUP program, Junior Achievement’s newest small business program, and is currently leading efforts to relaunch the JA Company Program, expanding opportunities for students to build real-world entrepreneurial experience.

Previously, Jordan worked with Junior Achievement of New York, where she helped guide a major organizational shift to virtual engagement during the pandemic. She played a key role in developing Imagining Tomorrows, JA New York’s first-ever virtual gala, and helped shape the strategy and execution of virtual events that kept students, educators, and supporters connected during a time of rapid change.

Jordan is passionate about building equitable pathways for young people and believes entrepreneurship education is a powerful tool for both personal empowerment and community transformation. She earned her B.A. from Louisiana State University and enjoys music, writing, and trying to keep up with her 19 month old daughter, Noelle.