Theresa Mistysyn

Meet Theresa Mistysyn

When Theresa first encountered Junior Achievement, she wasn’t a board member or executive leader—she was a parent volunteer in her son’s kindergarten classroom in Texas.

“I loved the kindergarten program,” she said. “It’s so powerful—the idea of ‘this is a need, this is a want.’ So many people today, adults included, don’t get that.”

That early experience sparked a long-term commitment to JA that would follow her from Dallas back to Northeast Ohio—and ultimately into board leadership.

A graduate of the University of Dayton with a degree in biochemistry, Theresa began her career as an intern at Sherwin-Williams and spent 21 years with the company. Over time, she transitioned from the lab into operations, eventually leading large-scale manufacturing teams. That flexibility—and strong company culture—kept her there.

“Who at 22 really knows exactly what you want to be?”

It’s a perspective that shaped her career—and one she sees reflected in Junior Achievement’s impact on students today. After moving back to Ohio, Theresa continued volunteering in her son’s school, eventually coordinating programming across classrooms. Each lesson left a mark. One moment in particular still stands out:

“I had a student who said, ‘I have my own business and all these guys work for me,’ and he was in fourth or fifth grade,” she recalled. “I’m 100% sure that kid is successful now. He just understood it.”

Another came closer to home when her son participated in a JA budgeting simulation. “He said, ‘Mom, I don’t have enough money to do any of the stuff I want to do.’ That’s when it clicks.”

For Theresa, those moments represent the real power of JA: helping students connect the dots early. She joined the JA board around 2012 and became a key leader during a period of transformation for the organization. The highlight of her tenure?

“The experiential learning center—by far,” she said. “I didn’t really understand it at first. But after we visited Fort Wayne, I said, ‘Okay—now I get it. We absolutely need to make this happen.’”

Seeing the project come to life—and the community rally around it—was deeply meaningful. As she steps back from her role as board chair, Theresa will remain closely involved with Junior Achievement as a member of the executive committee, continuing to support the organization’s growth and impact.

“I think the most important thing is opening students’ eyes to opportunities,” she said. “We want them to know they don’t have to leave—that they can stay here, build a life, and do anything they want.”

Even now, she continues to see the long-term impact of JA’s lessons... "My son asked me in college if I could come talk to his fraternity about budgeting,” she said. “That meant a lot to me. It made me realize those lessons really stick.”

As Theresa transitions into a new chapter—one that includes more travel and time with family—her influence on Junior Achievement will continue to be felt in every student whose perspective was shaped by those early lessons.

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