NYC Philanthropic Veteran, Elizabeth Perez, to Lead NAF’s Partnership Cultivation, Activation, and Retention Efforts
(New York, NY – January 20, 2022) – NAF, a national network of education, business, and community leaders who work together to ensure that high school students are college, career, and future ready, recently announced that Elizabeth Perez has joined the organization as Chief Partnership Officer. Bringing nearly 10 years of experience managing all facets of fundraising, partnership, and marketing efforts at a national nonprofit, Ms. Perez will join NAF’s senior executive team and will bridge the gap between the programmatic activity of the organization and the partners that support and engage in NAF’s strategic work.
Ms. Perez joins NAF from a nine-year tenure at Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA), as Vice President of Corporate Initiatives and Institutional Giving. At GSUSA, Ms. Perez was a key member of the Strategic Partnerships & New Ventures team, supporting partner activation initiatives, and played a pivotal role in building an institutional giving team, generating over $30M in revenue. Her track record of success has resulted in identifying, building, and amplifying significant and scaled partnerships aligned to organizational goals, while also building high-performing teams.
NAF CEO, Lisa Dughi, said, “We are thrilled to welcome Liz to the NAF team and look forward to the many contributions she will undoubtedly make towards our partner cultivation, expansion, and retention efforts. Partnerships are at the heart of NAF’s mission, and fostering and sustaining these relationships are essential for NAF to realize its vision of a world in which all young people have equal opportunities for successful futures.”
Ms. Perez is a marketer by training, which she feels has contributed to her achievements in securing strong national partnerships — holding key roles at companies such as Express Scripts, Kraft Heinz (formerly Kraft Foods), Mondelez International (formerly Nabisco Biscuit Company), and Colgate Palmolive. While at Kraft Heinz, she co-chaired the employee giving fund and met with various nonprofits reviewing proposals to determine where employee giving funds would be allocated — ultimately leading her to pursue a stronger focus on public service in volunteer leadership roles with nonprofits, her church, and her local YMCA’s Board of Directors.
Ms. Perez received her BS in Business Administration from Boston University, where she was in the ROTC and served in the Massachusetts National Guard, as well as in the US Army Reserve as a Finance Officer. She earned her MBA from Columbia University Graduate School of Business in Marketing and has also studied at Indiana University School of Philanthropy, focusing on Principles of Fundraising and Developing Annual Sustainability.
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About NAF
NAF is a national network of education, business, and community leaders who work together to ensure that high school students are college, career, and future ready.
NAF works with high need communities to transform the high school experience through an educational design that includes industry-specific curricula, work-based learning experiences, and relationships with business professionals, culminating in a paid internship. NAF academies fit within and enhance school systems, allowing NAF to become an integral part of a plan for higher achievement at a low cost. NAF academies focus on one of five career themes: finance, hospitality & tourism, information technology, engineering, and health sciences. During the 2020-21 school year, over 117,000 students attended 619 NAF academies across 34 states, plus DC, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. In 2020, NAF academies reported 99% of seniors graduated with 87% of graduates planning to go to college. For more information, please visit: https://naf.org/
Contact
Brendon Henson | NAF | bhenson@naf.org