KRISTI RICHARDS is a successful advocate for the improvement of financial literacy among young people, having served as a volunteer for the Jump$tart Coalition and Junior Achievement. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and Management from the University of Michigan-Dearborn, where she was awarded two Chancellor's Medallions. She has been recognized with the Financial Executives International Award for Academic Excellence, Economics and Finance Honors Scholar Awards, and several writing awards, including 1st place in a national essay