Right to Start Appoints Jeannette Balleza Collins as its Heartland Coalition Manager for Key Impact States: Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma
Arkansas-Based Expert on Entrepreneurship Will Spearhead the National Nonprofit’s Initiatives in the Center of the Nation
Kansas City, MO – April 25, 2024 – Right to Start, the national nonprofit organization championing entrepreneurship as a civic priority, announced today that it has appointed Jeannette Balleza Collins as its Heartland Coalition Manager. She will oversee Right to Start’s efforts to grow coalitions in support of entrepreneurship in five states in the center of the nation: Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma.
Jeannette Balleza Collins is a passionate champion of entrepreneurship. Prior to joining Right to Start, she was Entrepreneurial Development Consultant at Northwest Arkansas Council. There she collaborated with entrepreneurs, companies, investors, educators, entrepreneurial support organizations, and other stakeholders to advance region-wide entrepreneurial vibrancy. In that capacity, she helped orchestrate a two-state collaboration between the Northwest Arkansas Council and Tulsa Innovation Labs to promote regionally focused programs that champion inclusive entrepreneurship in future logistics and advanced mobility.
Jeannette serves as director or advisor on the Boards of FemHealth Founders, Entrepreneurship for All Northwest Arkansas, Creative Arkansas Community Hub & Exchange (CACHE), Ark Angel Alliance, Southern Capital Project, Spring Creek Food Hub, BIKE.POC, and NEXXT Women. She also serves as a community leader for Embark Collaborative for Retail Value Chain (operator of the bounds accelerator program), John Brown University Soderquist College of Business, Validation Fund at Winrock International, Arkansas Capital Corporation CDFI Community Advisory Board, and Arkansas Capital Scan.
Earlier in her career, she co-started the award-winning DeadFred’s Genealogy Photo Archive, Tonic Regional Funds, innovation community for later-stage startup companies Grit Studios, and DApp Ghost Context. She also served as Director of The ARK Challenge technology accelerator program at Winrock International/Startup Junkie, which was the state’s first public-private digital startup accelerator.
“We are excited that Jeannette Balleza Collins has joined Right to Start to orchestrate our work in America’s Heartland,” said Victor W. Hwang, Founder and CEO of Right to Start. “She is a long-time friend of Right to Start and played a key role in helping jumpstart our work by introducing us to many of our Advocates in Northwest Arkansas. She brings extraordinary experience and expertise in building support systems for entrepreneurship, and her passion, energy, intellect, and creativity will be assets for our organization throughout these five states.”
“I am beyond thrilled to take on this new role at Right to Start,” said Jeannette Balleza Collins. “America’s Heartland is home to me, and I am eager to help grow support systems and remove barriers for entrepreneurs in the middle of the nation. I look forward to knitting Right to Start’s initiatives together across state borders.”
Born in Little Rock, Jeannette graduated from Hendrix College. She lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Right to Start is a national nonpartisan movement to advance entrepreneurship as a civic priority throughout the United States. Entrepreneurship has long been viewed as a solitary endeavor – the lone starter in a basement or garage. Right to Start’s vision is to transform America so that all communities prioritize entrepreneurship, clearing away obstacles to ensure that every American has an equal right to start and a level playing field on which to embark. The campaign is conducted through two affiliated nonprofit organizations, a 501(c)3 and 501(c)4.