October 2025 CEO Letter
Dear colleagues,
In an effort to honor the legacy of Michael Bray and all that he did for the JA network, we have recently announced the creation of the Michael Bray Award for Good Governance. We know that Michael would want us to look forward and determine what good governance should look like in the age of AI, because Michael believed that governance is not bureaucracy, it is trust in action. He helped shape the framework that allows JA to function as one of the world’s most successful global networks, with over 300 separate legal entities, operating in over 100 countries, with six regional operating centers, and a shared mission, vision, and set of values. Despite the geopolitical shifts in recent years, our member agreement and governance framework have remained resilient and continue to allow our network to thrive.
By ensuring that roles, responsibilities, and rights are clearly defined, Michael and several others who worked with him on developing our global governance framework provided every JA leader with the confidence to innovate within guardrails. For example, JA USA is able to make changes to its operating model with JA local areas with the support and consent of JA Worldwide; JA Africa can introduce modifications to regional governance without requiring amendments to the member agreement impacting other regions. That, in essence, is what good governance does: It protects the freedom to act boldly. The fixed-flexible-freestyle approach strikes a balance between centralization and decentralization and between consistency and agility, allowing the JA network to make progress without frequent modifications to the member agreement and governance framework.
One of JA’s core values is to embrace diversity of perspectives such that our boards and volunteers reflect the communities we serve. Michael served as the first chair of the Governance and Nominations Committee of JA Worldwide. He was succeeded by Mayu Avila, who renamed the Board Committee to People Development, reflecting the importance of leadership development and succession planning as elements of good governance. Together, Michael and Mayu have led the transformation of the JA Worldwide Board of Governors to be more diverse on every dimension: more gender-balanced, more geographically balanced, and more reflective of the youth we serve around the world. We have added more alumni voices by including an elected alumni representative on the Board of Governors. In addition, we introduced board terms three-year terms) and tenure limits (twelve years or four board terms of three years each), committee chair terms (three-year terms) and tenure limits (six years or two terms), and added a strategic focus not just on succession planning for key staff roles, but also for key board roles. This has created institutional strength for JA Worldwide, and we are happy to see JA entities around the world at the regional, national, and local level follow our lead.
Our journey from the Boundless strategic plans of the last six years to the Thrive strategic plan reflects the same evolution: greater resilience, growth management, and governance strength. We navigated the pandemic, recessions, and geopolitical shifts in our last strategy cycle and stayed united while growing revenue substantially across all six regions of the JA network. Thrive will allow us to continue our journey to reach 10% of the world’s youth population with measurable economic impact, using the stability of good governance.
The Michael Bray Award for Good Governance is more than a tribute—it’s a living reminder of the values Michael embodied. He believed that governance was not about rules, but about relationships. As we move our strategy from Boundless to Thrive, we carry forward Michael’s legacy every time we make decisions that empower others, clarify responsibilities, and build trust through transparency. At our Global Leadership Conference, let us honor Michael not just with a moment of silence, but by modeling the very governance he championed: courageous, collaborative, and compassionate.
Until next time,
Asheesh