COVEDOZA BLOG:

Elisa Molina Named 2026 Moxie Awards Finalist in Two Categories for Nonprofit Leadership and Community Impact

Junior Achievement of Georgia director and COVEDOZA founder recognized by the Gwinnett Chamber for civic engagement and professional achievement

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — Elisa Molina, Director of Operations at the Junior Achievement of Georgia Discovery Center of Gwinnett, has been named a 2026 finalist for the Gwinnett Chamber's Moxie Awards in both the "Pay It Forward" and "Moxie" categories. The awards recognize women across metro Atlanta who go above and beyond in their workplaces and communities, with winners across all seven categories announced at a ceremony on August 12, 2026.

Molina's nomination reflects more than a decade of nonprofit leadership alongside a parallel career building platforms for Latina entrepreneurs. She joined Junior Achievement of Georgia in 2013 in an entry-level role supporting elementary programs and has since risen to lead one of the organization's highest-impact sites, overseeing a team that serves more than 30,000 middle school students annually in Gwinnett County. Along the way, she supported the launch of three JA Discovery Centers across the state and the organization's transition to virtual programming during the COVID-19 pandemic through her Education roles, reaching more than 18,000 students in a single school year.

Her path to nonprofit leadership began with service abroad. Before joining Junior Achievement, Molina served as a Community Economic Development Volunteer in the Peace Corps in Costa Rica, where she secured $8,291 in private grants, a donation of 12 used computers from an Oregon company, and raised an additional $2,300 through crowdfunding to build a community computer lab expanding digital access for local youth and families.

Outside her full-time role, Molina is the founder of COVEDOZA, a social-impact brand and cultural collective, and the host of the JefaMom podcast, a Spanish-language platform for entrepreneurial Latina mothers. She now serves on the board of the Latina Leads Foundation, which she supported in 2025 by donating free event space and volunteer hours for a program reaching more than 200 parents and 68 girls, and by personally raising $2,300 to send two young girls, including her own daughter, on the foundation's first educational trip to NASA this past April.

“I've spent over a decade helping Junior Achievement accelerate economic mobility for middle school students across Georgia, and I've spent the last several years building a portfolio of brands to do the same thing for Latino entrepreneurs and mothers,” said Molina. “Both of those commitments are inspired by my daughter, who challenges me every day to be a better human.”

About Junior Achievement of Georgia

JA of Georgia, established in 1949, provides business-integrated education focused on financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. The organization delivers experiential learning programs designed to develop key mindsets and skills that help students lead successful lives. Reaching more than 112,000 students statewide annually, programs are supported by more than 12,000 volunteers and 230 businesses.

About COVEDOZA

Founded in 2020, COVEDOZA is an Atlanta-based social impact brand and cultural collective offering apparel, digital products, events, and social impact initiatives. COVEDOZA provides representation and resources to empower professional women, mothers, and entrepreneurs to boldly pursue their dreams. The company celebrated its fifth anniversary this past spring with a landmark event, COVEDOZA 5: Poder Latina CEO, highlighting its ongoing commitment to culture, entrepreneurship, and community.