Align. Transform. Thrive.
Mission
Our mission is to help schools, colleges, businesses, and communities align their efforts and drive systems change — creating places where people belong, grow, and stay. We believe that when education, business, and community leaders work together with shared purpose, we can build thriving communities where everyone has a role in shaping the future.
Kristy Volesky, Founder & Principal Consultant
Kristy Volesky brings deep experience across education, government, and business partnerships, helping schools, businesses, and communities move from ideas to action through bold vision, strategic alignment, and collective impact.
A national thought leader in systems-level collaboration, Kristy has worked with schools, colleges, organizations, and state agencies across the country to strengthen connections between education, business, and the community. Her work centers on aligning local and regional efforts as investments in talent, leadership, and community vitality. Her career includes experience as an educator and coordinator, along with state-level leadership overseeing career and technical education, work-based learning, career development, and education-business partnerships.
Kristy serves on ACTE’s Work-Based Learning Policy Team and co-leads a national collaboration network through the Coalition for Career Development Center, helping advance best practices in work-based learning and career planning across the U.S. She is also the author of Transformational Work-Based Learning: Leading Exceptional Internship Programs and CTE Reimagined: The Blueprint for Education's Future, two works that challenge traditional models and provide practical strategies for building systems that connect learning, leadership, and community vitality.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in business education and a master’s in organizational leadership. Known as a trusted leader and bold systems thinker, Kristy helps partners turn vision into action, drive alignment, and deliver results that build thriving communities.
Meet the Volesky Consulting Team
Jeff Frost
CTE Consultant & Education Systems Advisor
Jeff Frost is a respected Iowa educational leader with more than 35 years of experience advancing Career and Technical Education across diverse school settings. Known for his ability to connect vision with practical implementation, Jeff has led change at the classroom, district, and regional levels.
As the former Executive Director of Professional Technical Education for Waterloo Schools, he guided CTE programming across multiple high schools and middle schools, including the development of the Waterloo Career Center. His leadership aligned programs with community colleges, business partners, and educators to ensure every student graduated with a Diploma and a Plan.
Today Jeff continues to support schools and districts in designing high-quality career pathways, work-based learning systems, and aligned program structures. He is currently collaborating with Cedar Rapids Schools to develop their 9th Grade Seminar and Career Academies across three high schools.
Mindi Heitland
Consultant, Work-Based Learning & Career Development
Mindi Heitland is an experienced educator and advocate for high-quality work-based learning. With a strong background in career development, internship coordination, and CTE program support, she helps schools and communities create systems that connect learning with meaningful real-world experiences.
Mindi's work focuses on expanding access to work-based learning opportunities for all students while strengthening the partnerships that make those experiences possible. She is known for her ability to bridge education and business needs, preparing students for success while ensuring businesses are supported and engaged.
In addition to her consulting work, Mindi serves as an instructor for the University of Northern Iowa, where she helps develop the next generation of work-based learning coordinators.
Jason Van Nus
Consultant, Workforce Development & Community Partnerships
Jason Van Nus is a nationally recognized education and workforce development leader known for helping schools, communities, and businesses build partnerships that last. With extensive experience as an educator, program director, and consultant, he specializes in workforce strategy, talent retention, and partnership design that strengthen local economies and student outcomes.
Drawing from his background in education management and business engagement, Jason helps local leaders align programs with regional workforce priorities through data-informed decision-making and sustainable program design. His approach blends strategy with practical implementation, ensuring schools and communities see measurable results.
Jason is a sought-after keynote speaker and facilitator who delivers professional learning experiences that move teams from short-term efforts to long-term systems of impact.