Bios/Photos

Jason Alderman

Jason Alderman directs the financial education programs for Visa Inc., which includes the award-winning Practical Money Skills for Life and What’s My Score? initiatives. As part of his work at Visa, Mr. Alderman writes a weekly personal finance column that is carried in 300 community newspapers nationwide.

Prior to joining Visa at the start of 2006, Mr. Alderman handled communications for Pacific Gas and Electric Company, one of America's largest utilities. Mr. Alderman's career also included service as a Congressional staffer in Washington, D.C. on the House Appropriations Committee and as the legislative director for the late Rep. Sidney Yates of Illinois. In that post, he helped oversee the multi-billion dollar budgets for the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Smithsonian Institution.

Mr. Alderman sits on the boards of the JumpStart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy, the California JumpStart Coalition, the Financial Literacy Advisory Board of the American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences, and chairs the board of the Bay Area Center for Voting Research. He is also a member of the Center for Financial Services Innovation’s Responsible Credit Roundtable.

(Download a photo of Mr. Alderman)

Jean Chatzky - Personal Finance Expert and best selling author

Jean Chatzky, award-winning journalist, best-selling author and motivational speaker, has created a global platform that is making significant strides to help millions of men and women battle an epidemic with a devastating impact- debt. Jean is the financial editor for NBC’s Today, a contributing editor for Money, Time and Travel + Leisure Magazines, a columnist for The New York Daily News, and is a featured money coach on Oprah's "Debt Diet" series. She hosts a daily show on the Oprah & Friends channel, exclusively on XM Radio.

She is the author of four books, including the best seller, You Don't Have to Be Rich. Her recent book Pay It Down: From Debt to Wealth on $10 A Day, is a New York Times and Business Week best seller. Her latest book, Make Money, Not Excuses is a Wall Street Journal and New York Times Bestseller.

Jean has been recognized as an exceptional journalist. She received the Clarion Award for magazine columns from the Association of Woman in Communications, has been nominated twice for National Magazine Awards and was named one of the best magazine columnists by the Chicago Tribune.

In addition to her professional work, Jean is on the March of Dimes advisory council, lends her support and expertise to women's services groups and is on the board of the Nora Magid Mentorship prize at the University of Pennsylvania, which helps journalism students get a head-start in the field. She is also on the Communications Committee for University of Pennsylvania.

Jean lives with her family in Westchester, New York.

Lisa Gallimore Withers

Lisa Gallimore Withers Lisa is the national trainer for Visa’s Practical Money Skills for Life Program. She travels the country speaking to educators, administrators, and students about financial literacy and the educational resources available through the program.

She has recently spoken to student groups at the University of Washington, University of South Florida, and Texas A&M to promote financial literacy on college campuses. Lisa has also delivered the Practical Money Skills program for organizations and associations including: California School to Career Academy, Future Business Leaders of America Regional and State Conferences, Wisconsin Financial Institute, and the Kansas Business Leaders Association.

Educators Advisory Council

The Practical Money Skills for Life Educators Advisory Council is a talented and diverse group of leading educators at the forefront of promoting financial literacy.

Dr. Celia Hayhoe	View Bio
"The VISA's Practical Money Skills for life combines personal involvement, fun activities, on-line sources, and meaningful lessons in a program that teaches teens money skills they will use throughout their lives." Dr. Celia Hayhoe, CFP® is the Family Financial Management Specialist with Virginia Cooperative Extension and Assistant Professor at Virginia Tech. She received her Ph.D. in Family and Consumer Resources, M.S. in Finance, and her B.S. in Education at the University of Arizona. Celia received her Certified Financial Planner designation in 1986. In 2005. Dr. Hayhoe won the Outreach Award for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Virginia Tech. Her research interests are college students' use of credit and eldercare financial planning. She has authored three national programs: To Be a Have or Have Not: The Choice is Yours, Money Speaks: Helping Teens and Parent Communicate About Money and Protecting Your Retirement and Other Financial Information for Family Caregivers: What Every Adult Child Needs to Know. Dr. Hayhoe has authored many extension publications and well as refereed journal articles on personal finance topics. She has been interviewed by the popular press and the news media. Celia is the Past President of the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education.
Linda Hawkins	View Bio
"Practical Money Skills for Life is the closest program I’ve ever seen to “being all things for all people”; besides being multimedia it is one of the few that starts at pre school working with the parents and follows the students all the way through high school graduation to their first taste of independence." As the West Virginia State Treasurer’s Director for School Financial Education Programs, Linda Hawkins has led efforts to implement a statewide Bank at School program. She has trained over 600 teachers and bankers how to teach financial literacy. Formerly a secondary school teacher, Ms. Hawkins has also held the position of the Director of Research, Grants Writing, and Continuing Education for Mountain State University.
Chauncey Veatch	View Bio
"We use the VISA Practical Money Skills Program in my high school Economics classes for a variety of purposes. We use it to work with family and personal budgets. We use to understand the intricacies of the global economy. They are easily aligned to our state standards. They also serve as a potent supplement to our work with our ELL (English Language Learners) students". During a White House Rose Garden ceremony, on April 24, 2002, Chauncey Veatch was named National Teacher of the Year. Previously, he had been named California, Riverside County, Coachella Valley U.S.D., Coachella Valley High School, Bilingual Education and Migrant Education Teacher of the Year. Veatch became a teacher in 1995 at the end of his active duty service in the United States Army. He first taught seventh and eighth grade science, mathematics, English, reading, writing, social studies, physical education, and ESL (English as a second language). In the evening Adult Education Program he also taught citizenship test preparation and English classes. In 1999 Veatch began teaching in the Social Studies and Vocational Technical Education Departments at Coachella Valley High School. He specifically requests that non-English speaking students, students with special needs, students with learning disabilities, pregnant teens, and students involved with gangs or drugs be placed in his classes. Since 2003 Veatch also teaches Pre-K, primary, and elementary school students in Head Start and reading intervention programs. As the College Board’s International Visiting Scholar Veatch travels as a distinguished lecturer with published works on globalization, diversity, and access to post-secondary education. He also serves on Visa USA’s Educator Advisory Council and as a consultant for its financial literacy programs. He is an author and academic advisor in the development of students’ critical language and reading skills for Scholastic’s Zip Zoom English, Read 180, and RED programs. These are technology-based K-12 programs for school administrators, reading coaches, and teachers. Veatch was recently named International Ambassador for Education by La Prensa Hispana. He is active in the Troops to Teachers Program, the PTA’s National Outreach program to African-American, Hispanic-American, and Native-American students. In addition to teaching in his district, Veatch is developing the International Student Leadership Academy as a teacher on assignment to the California Governor’s Office and the Riverside County Office of Education. Veatch also served on the Federal Task Force on Homelessness and Severe Mental Illness, the National Advisory Council on Drug and Alcohol Abuse, and the Blue Ribbon Commission on the Year of Languages. Veatch earned his Bachelor’s degree from the University of the Pacific, a Juris Doctorate from the University of Notre Dame, and teaching credential from Chapman University. He is also a graduate of the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Eric Winkleman	View Bio
"After working with Practical Money Skills for Life, our district decided to make this curriculum a required part of our Business Computer Information Systems class. We are a 10 high school district and it is offered at every high school. The teachers really enjoy the curriculum and comment how the program is very inclusive. I brag on this program every chance I get." Eric Winkelman received a vocational degree in architectural drafting from Dunwoody Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He then went to college and received a bachelor's degree from St. Cloud State University in Industrial Technology Education with emphases in Energy and Construction. After graduation, Eric was recruited to El Paso as a Technology Education teacher. He began his career teaching architectural and technical drafting at Austin High School. Within his 22 years as an educator he's been a teacher, energy manager, assistant principal at Morehead Middle School, principal at the Center for Career and Technology Education (CCTE), and Director of Career Technical Education. Currently he is both Principal at CCTE and Director for Career Technical Education in the El Paso Independent School District. Eric's had the honor of serving on the following advisory committees: NCS Real Skills, El Paso Collaboration, El Paso’s Power of E3 Advisory Committee, and VISA’s Practical Money Skills for Life Advisory Council.
Charlotte Mohling	View Bio
"We have implemented parts of the VISA Practical Money Skills Programs in our high school Personal Finance class. We are using the modules as a supplement to other educational materials. The students enjoy the interactive format of the modules." Charlotte Mohling believes that all students should have access to a variety of quality educational programs and courses that challenge their abilities and skills. During her professional career, Charlotte has promoted this belief. She implemented a Technology for Tomorrow program for students in her small rural school and was honored as a member of the USA 2004 All-USA Teacher Team. She developed and teaches distance education courses for the SD DIAL Virtual School. Charlotte was a member of a statewide task force that developed standards for a required Personal Finance course. She has served as chairman of the local economic development board, president of the Family & Consumer Sciences Division of the Association of Career and Technical Education, and chairman of the Family and Consumer Sciences Expert Panel of the Association for Education Communications and Technology Project. She serves on the National Coalition of Family and Consumer Sciences and the NDSU Board of Visitors. She was recently honored as the 2007 South Dakota Teacher of the Year. Charlotte earned a bachelor’s degree in home economics education from the North Dakota State University and a Master’s degree in technology for education and training from the University of South Dakota. She teaches in the Wessington Springs (SD) School District and for the SD DIAL Virtual School and is a national trainer for The Real Game. During her 31 years in education she has taught family and consumer sciences, technology, economics and personal finance.

Young Chalker	View Bio
"As the daughter of an emigrant family, I was raised with an emphasis on education but always aware of the need to manage our family's finances. Practical Money Skills for Life provides a complete package for both children and parents to understand, manage and plan for their future." As a mother of two young children, Young Lee Chalker has a special appreciation for the hopes and concerns of financial education in home and at school. Ms. Chalker received her M.A. in Education with a focus on Early Childhood Development at Columbia University's Teachers College in New York and her B.A. in English from the University of Illinois. During her seven years of teaching experience, Ms. Chalker worked with junior high school students in New York City and was committed to bringing elementary school students on the south side of Chicago up to grade level or better in reading and math. Certified to teach in New York and Illinois, Ms. Chalker also taught English as a Second Language in Japan for two years while employed by the Japanese Ministry of Education. Born in Chicago, Ms. Chalker lives in Manhattan with her husband and two sons.