Junior Achievement of Central Maryland Inc. (JA), a non-profit organization dedicated to preparing young people to succeed in an ever-changing economy, has named Katie Ballance as marketing director.

Ballance will be responsible for all of JA of Central Maryland’s communications execution and strategies, including digital and social media, public relations, and various marketing platforms.

“It is an honor to be a part of JA of Central Maryland,” said Ballance. “I look forward to helping the organization promote their mission and reach their goals.”

Ballance brings four years of digital marketing, crisis communication, brand consistency, internal communication and external event skills to JA. Previously a marketing director at Hunt Valley’s Atlantic Financial Federal Credit Union, Ballance oversaw marketing and business development departments, and received multiple awards, including SmartCEO’s 2014 Chief Marketer Executive Management Award, Better Business Bureau’s 2014 Greater Maryland Torch Award and MDDCCUA’s 2015 Trailblazer Award for Best Annual Report.

Prior to joining the JA team, Ballance also worked at Carson Scholars Fund in Towson, Maryland as a scholarship and communications coordinator. She gained public relations and writing experience at Baltimore’s Better Business Bureau, Baltimore’s Taipan Publishing Group, and Annapolis’ Capital Gazette Communications.

A volunteer at Better Business Bureau, Carson Scholars Fund, the Stevenson University English Alumni Board, and Catholic Charities of Baltimore, Ballance is now a part of JA’s dedicated volunteer network. Ballance holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Stevenson University, where she was president of English Honor Society Sigma Tau Delta and graduated in 2010.

About Junior Achievement of Central Maryland

Junior Achievement of Central Maryland is dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. Through a dedicated volunteer network, JACMD provides in school and after-school programs for 43,000 K-12 students, which focus on work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy. For more information, visit www.jamaryland.org.