Jump$tart Coalition to Honor NGPF Founder Tim Ranzetta with Visionary Leadership Award
The Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy has named Tim Ranzetta, founder of Next Gen Personal Finance (NGPF), as the 2018 recipient of its William E. Odom Visionary Leadership Award.
The award will be presented at Jump$tart’s Annual Awards Dinner, which recognizes the accomplishments of individuals and organizations that are working to create a financially literate future. The event takes place April 10 at the JW Marriott Washington, DC and is a central event during Jump$tart’s Financial Literacy Month (#FLM18) celebrations.
“The Odom Award was named for the man whose vision led to the creation of the Jump$tart Coalition and, in his honor, we recognize leaders who see things a little differently; who see things first,” said Laura Levine, president and CEO of the Jump$tart Coalition. “Tim Ranzetta saw new ways of making financial education resources more accessible, more 21st century—and we’re grateful for his impact.”
Ranzetta seems to have been born with a sense of personal finance and savings. At just 7 years old he walked the neighbor’s dog earning $300 and getting to know the bank tellers at the local bank branch in New Jersey. And, at 16 – as the fifth of six children – he knew he would be responsible for paying for college. Using earnings from his eight summers working as a golf caddy, he managed to hit his goal and graduated with a BS degree in Commerce from the University of Virginia and later went on to earn a MBA from the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University.
It’s this background that in 2011 led Ranzetta to volunteer to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Preparatory School in East Palo Alto, Calif. There he saw how engaging content can impact not only the first-generation students that he taught but their parents too. He later formed the nonprofit, Next Gen Personal Finance, with a mission to provide all young people with access to free and engaging financial education.
In addition to his work at NGPF, Tim currently serves as a board member, personal finance teacher, advisor and supporter of educational nonprofits including Eastside College Preparatory, Peninsula College Fund, ScholarMatch and Project Wayfinder. He also enjoys coaching youth sports and currently serves as a commissioner of his town’s T-ball league.
“It’s a great honor to be recognized for this award by the Jump$tart Coalition. I am being recognized individually for what has truly been a team effort, including, the amazing team at NGPF and the community of educators who inspire us every day with their commitment and passion,” said Ranzetta. “Jump$tart also has been instrumental in accelerating our growth trajectory. We look forward to fulfilling our vision to bring financial education to all high schools in America through this concerted team effort. The journey has just begun!”
Odom Award Background
The William E. Odom Visionary Leadership Award was named in honor of Bill Odom, former chairman of Ford Motor Credit Company, whose vision led to the creation of the Jump$tart Coalition. The award recognizes individuals for their significant contribution to financial education, their leadership, vision and the length of their service to the financial literacy effort. Recent past winners were:
- 2017 – Ted Beck, president and CEO, National Endowment for Financial Education
- 2016 – Richard G. Ketchum, chairman and CEO (ret.), FINRA
- 2015 – Maxine Sweet, vice president of financial education (ret.), Experian
- 2014 – Theodore (Ted) R. Daniels, founder and president, Society for Financial Education and Professional Development
- 2013 – Annamaria Lusardi, Ph.D., founder, Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center at George Washington University
- 2012 – Former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Sarah Duncan, and John W. Rogers, Jr., co-founders, Ariel Community Academy
- 2011 – Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, board chair and president, Charles Schwab Foundation; senior vice president, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
Financial Literacy Month Background
As the original promoter of April as Financial Literacy Month (#FLM18), Jump$tart Coalition will once again champion a month-long campaign to raise public awareness about the importance of financial literacy and the need for financial education; encouraging collaboration and acknowledging the many and diverse contributions its partners have made—and continue to make—to the field. National Financial Literacy Month, sometimes referred to as National Financial Capability Month, is marked by local, regional and national events and initiatives.
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About Jump$tart: The Jump$tart Coalition is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit organization that seeks to improve the personal financial literacy of students in pre-kindergarten through college. Jump$tart Coalition’s nearly 150 national partners and 51 affiliated state coalitions work individually and collectively to educate and prepare our nation’s youth for life-long financial success. Jump$tart is the original promoter of April as Financial Literacy Month and publisher of the National Standards in K-12 Personal Finance Education. For more information about the Jump$tart Coalition, go to www.jumpstart.org or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
