Meet Josie Bitter: Strengthening the Relationships Behind Student Impact

Image caption: Josie Bitter joined Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa in February 2026 as Stewardship Coordinator. She supports donor relationships, grant writing, and partnership engagement to help expand opportunity for students across Eastern Iowa.

Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa (JAEI) is excited to welcome Josie Bitter as our new Stewardship Coordinator.

Josie joined the JAEI team on February 18th, bringing with her a passion for building meaningful relationships and a deep belief in the potential of every young person. In her role, she supports donor stewardship, grant writing, board administration, and relationship management—helping ensure the partnerships behind Junior Achievement remain strong and impactful.

For Josie, the mission of Junior Achievement (JA) isn’t just professional—it’s personal.

“I truly align with the mission of JA and the boundless potential of young people,” she said. “Outside of work, I am a foster mom for this exact reason. I want every child to have an equal playing field and to have positive figures and adults in their life, and I believe that is what JA is accomplishing as well.”

Josie brings valuable experience in customer experience and partnership management. Prior to joining JA, she worked at VGM in Waterloo as an Account Specialist, where she built relationships with vendors and helped onboard new partners. Before that, she served as a Customer Experience Supervisor at Grainger Industrial Supply.

Born and raised in La Porte City, Josie has strong roots in the Cedar Valley and a deep appreciation for the community JA serves.

She is especially excited to connect more closely with donors and partners who make JA’s work possible.

“I’m most excited to really get to know our donors and ensure they feel valued and supported. These partnerships are so important to the students we serve.”

Josie is passionate about helping students discover their potential and explore career paths they may not have otherwise considered.

“I hope students find what they are passionate about through JA programs and volunteers,” she said. “JA helps broaden their understanding of careers and gives them a clearer picture of what their future could look like.”

Outside of work, Josie enjoys cooking, baking, gardening, and spending time with her husband, Tommy, their foster family, and their two Aussiedoodles, Frannie and Louie. While she describes herself as extroverted and social, she admits she’s also a homebody at heart.

Josie brings positivity, intentionality, and kindness to her work—and she’s energized to help strengthen the relationships that support Junior Achievement’s mission.

Please join us in welcoming Josie to Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa.