Gayle Jagel is the CEO and Founder of The Young Entrepreneurs Academy, or YEA!. YEA!, a 501©3 non-profit, is an innovative, entrepreneurial educational program for middle and high school students which teaches students how to make a job- not just take a job! She founded the program in 2004 while serving as a Director at the University of Rochester, and earned the support of the Kauffman Foundation. In November 2008 she successfully “spun-off” the program and expanded the reach of YEA! nationally, to 30 states, and continues to expand across America.
YEA! is a partner of ABC TV’s hit show Shark Tank, the US Chamber of Commerce and is supported by national companies, universities, women’s business organizations, foundations and community-based organizations around the country.
In 1998, Jagel created ASPIRE, the After School Program of Innovative Learning Reaching Every Child, a highly successful not-for-profit enrichment program for middle school students in Western New York. Jagel served on the Rochester Museum and Science Center’s Committee for Advancement and Innovation, where she was a member of the inaugural Young Visionaries Awards program, and served on the Board of Directors of the American Marketing Association.
Ms. Jagel is passionate about inspiring the minds and entrepreneurial spirit of teens and young adults, and she is a zealous advocate for programs promoting youth success and achievement. She has been teaching teens and young adults how to harness, develop and increase their personal power, confidence and self-esteem through innovative and dynamic programs.
Ms. Jagel was herself a young achiever and entrepreneur. At 19, Jagel was the principal organizer of the Centennial for Liberty celebration in Boston to benefit the Statue of Liberty restoration, for which she received special recognition by Lee Iacocca, chairman of the nationwide restoration movement. At 25, Jagel conceived and successfully launched Rochester Delivers, Rochester’s first upscale multi-restaurant delivery service. She then founded and published DiningIN Rochester, an award-winning magazine devoted to wine, restaurants, recipes, cooking and entertaining in Rochester. At 34, she created ASPIRE, and at 38, YEA!
Jagel serves as an Advisory Board Member of the US Chamber of Commerce Center for Entrepreneurship, serves as a member of Women United, served on the Board of Directors of Women’s Council, an affiliate organization of the Rochester Business Alliance, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Small Business Council. Jagel is sought after for her views on entrepreneurship education and motivating young people. Originally from the Boston area, and a parent of three aspiring entrepreneurs, today she lives in Rochester, NY with her husband Chris
