About Us
Jewels Academy: STEM enrichment for 4th-12th grade girls
Our Objectives
Cultivate interest and further develop an aptitude for science and technology
Promote higher learning in post-secondary education through STEM career opportunities through workshops and mentorships
Introduce cutting-edge technology and concepts, while providing hands-on learning
Build character traits for the betterment of their communities
Our Objectives
Cultivate interest and further develop an aptitude for science and technology
Promote higher learning in post secondary education through STEM career opportunities through workshops and mentor ships
Introduce cutting-edge technology and concepts, while providing hands-on learning
Build character traits for the betterment of their communities
Our Values
Our values are the cornerstone of our standards that we follow within Jewels Academy. We place high importance on our values which are integrity, citizenship, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Our Mission
The mission of Jewels Academy is to provide young women with the competitive edge necessary to succeed academically and vocationally in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, leadership, financial stewardship, and the arts within an encouraging and nurturing environment.
Our Vision
Our vision is to become an internationally renowned STEM enrichment organization that helps develops young women in STEM for the next stage in their academic career that produces innovative and conscientious leaders.
Our FAQ
Is Jewels Academy just for girls?
Correct, Jewels Academy is a 501c3 organization that serves girls in STEM from elementary to high school ages. Although Jewels Academy primarily serves young women, we do not turn away any student, but instead welcome all students of all faiths and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Is Jewels Academy just for students of color or low-income students?
No, Jewels Academy is not just for students of color or low-income students. We welcome all students. However, we still focus on our philosophy and mission to reach underrepresented, underserved girls with diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. We have a heart for diversity on various social and economic levels.
Do you have more programs than STEM-related?
Yes, however, our emphasis currently is on our STEM program and slowly bringing in other programs that cover financial stewardship, leadership, and the arts.
The Young Emerging Scientists Program is only for 9 to 14-year-olds?
No, we also have a peer mentor program such that 10th – 12th graders serve as assistant instructors and receive a stipend. We mostly recruit for this program in the Spring of each year. You can find more information on the Our Programs page of this website.
When is the next set of workshops?
We have our workshops posted on our calendar and our registration page, or check us out on Facebook.
How can I register for an upcoming workshop?
Go to the Programs-Registration page on our website to register and submit an application and payment for an upcoming workshop.
Do you have scholarships for your workshops?
We do have scholarships and sponsorships (sponsor a student for a years worth of programming). They are provided on a need basis and attendance basis. More information can be found on our Scholarship page.
How can I support Jewels Academy?
For information on donating, see our Donation page, and our Shop can be found here. If you are interested in volunteering, please see our Volunteer page. To provide feedback, Contact Us!
Meet the Board of Directors
Tami Foley
Parent Voice
Tami Foley represents the parent voice of Jewels Academy. Tami is an advent volunteer with Jewels Academy and several civic organizations within the region. Tami and her daughter have participated with JA for over five years and seen the growth of the organization. Tami works for the Department of Human Services of Iowa and specializes in early childhood development. Tami is an exemplary example of a model parent, and we are grateful to have her on our team.
Dan Jackson
Corporate Partner
Dan Jackson is the Vice President of Product Management at Athene Annuity, a leading retirement services provider. He grew up in Muncie, Indiana and attended Purdue and Ball State University where he majored in Actuarial Science. He became a member of the American Academy of Actuaries in 2010 and a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries in 2011. He moved to West Des Moines, Iowa with his wife and three children in 2014. He loves math and how it can changes people’s lives and is so excited to partner with Jewel’s Academy on helping young women succeed!
Julia Ofenbakh
Attorney
Julia A. Ofenbakh has an extensive background in business and a passion for helping small business owners with legal needs of any type, big or small. Ms. Ofenbakh received her preparatory education at Kean University, Union, New Jersey, graduating in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science. She received her Juris Doctorate and Master in Business Administration from Drake University. While in law school, she was a member of the Drake Law School Intellectual Property Moot Court Team and was a regional semi-finalist in Giles Sutherland Rich Moot Court Competition. Ms. Ofenbakh also worked as a law clerk for the Department of Natural Resources and the Principal Financial Group. Prior to law school, Ms. Ofenbakh worked in various companies as a system administrator specializing in networking and security, as well as a project manager implementing all aspects of new products for new clients.
Tai Lieu
Marketing
Tai Lieu is the Communications and Marketing Specialist for the City of Norwalk, Iowa. Tai grew up in Montana and moved to Iowa where she graduated from Iowa State University with degree in Psychology. Before her career with the City of Norwalk, Iowa, Tai spent 3.5 years working for VictoryXR, the world’s leader in Virtual Reality Education. Tai has four children and when she isn’t on a baseball field or at a wrestling tournament, she spends her time sponsoring adoptions for a local TNR. Tai is passionate about education and is proud to serve on the board of Jewel’s Academy.
Kristin Yvonne Rozier
Ph.D. - Higher Ed Voice
Dr. Kristin Y. Rozier earned her Ph.D. from Rice University and MS and BS degrees from the College of William and Mary. During her tenure at NASA, she contributed research to the Aeroacoustics and Safety-Critical Avionics groups at NASA Langley and to the Robust Software Engineering, and Discovery and Systems Health groups in the Intelligent Systems Division at NASA Ames. She has served on the NASA Formal Methods Symposium Steering Committee since working to found that conference in 2008.
An NSF (National Science Foundation) CAREER Award winner and recipient of the Inaugural Initiative-Inspiration-Impact Award from Women in Aerospace, Dr. Rozier joined the faculty of the Aerospace Engineering and Computer Science Departments in Fall, 2016
Katina Reece
Treasurer
Katina is an 18 Year Telecommunications/IT Program Manager and worked in companies such as Tellabs/ATT/Verizon Wireless, and Alcatel-Lucent. She is currently an Engineering Program Manager at Microsoft in the Azure/Cloud space. During her career, she has managed multi-million-dollar services driving the development of new opportunities. She excels at developing and fostering key customer relationships, cross-functional management among various divisions, and creating processes and procedures to meet the strategic goals and objectives of a company. Katina has a B.S. in Computer engineering from Mississippi State University and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc., Church Home Small Group Leader Community, Scrum Alliance, and PMI National Organization.
Katina has a niche for building financial wealth and philanthropic endeavors. She owns +$1MIL real estate & stock investment portfolio and managed multiple retail businesses. Her vision is to empower others to thrive in life through #Healthy Living, and #Financial Astuteness through #Technological Advancements.
Kimberly Wayne
EdD - Founder and Executive Director
Dr. Kimberly Wayne is the founder and executive director of Jewels Academy. She has a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University and a Master’s of Business Administration from Iowa State University. She completed her doctoral studies at Drake University through the Educational Leadership Program. Her research is the essence of Jewels Academy’s goal of keeping youth in th e STEM pathways. She served on the Iowa State Board of Education for three years appointed by the Governor of Iowa. She has an extensive background in manufacturing engineering, technology, and supply chain management. Currently, she is a consultant in technology for a fortune top 50 company. Dr. Wayne is a recipient of many service and community awards. She believes it is an honor to serve and true service is a calling.
Discovering Jewels
Our Corporate and Foundation Sponsors
