Nancy Padberg Appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Catholic Education Arizona

PHOENIX, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Melissa Soza Fees, Board Chairman of Catholic Education Arizona, announced that Nancy Padberg, MBA, has been selected as the next President and CEO of Catholic Education Arizona, effective immediately.

"We are thrilled to have Nancy lead Catholic Education Arizona," Soza Fees said.  "The schools, the staff, and the board of directors were all so taken with Nancy's commitment to the mission and her servant leadership philosophy.  She brings an impressive skill set between her MBA and her digital marketing expertise and she will be a great leader for the CEA Team."

Nancy has been in leadership roles with media and marketing firms in Santa Monica and San Francisco, most recently with Hearst Media, leading the go to market strategy for Education. She has won the Hearst's Diamond Club multiple times as well as President's Club with over $3.5 million in new contracts during her tenure and was a Los Angeles Business Journal's "Women Making a Difference" nominee.

Nancy served on the Pepperdine University Advisory Board for five years and currently serves on the ISU Greenlee School of Journalism & Communications and Rutgers University Big Data Advisory Boards. She is a former collegiate golfer, Kappa Delta and earned her MBA from Pepperdine University's Graziadio School of Business. 

Nancy shared, "My Catholic education prepared me to be a successful person, executive and community leader by educating me intellectually, spiritually and socially.  It also contributed to becoming a self-confident, compassionate and authentic leader.  I am excited about how CEA partners with schools to strengthen children, families and communities, especially with 99% of Catholic High School seniors graduating and 97% go on to post-secondary education or military."

Superintendent of Catholic Schools Harry Plummer added, "Nancy's remarkable blend of business acumen, strategic marketing skills and passion for Catholic school education are a perfect fit for CEA.  We are looking forward to her leadership."

Current Interim CEO Tara Bethell noted, "The board could not have selected a better leader.  CEA has an energetic and engaged board and staff associates, plus an inspiring mission to serve all Arizona children, regardless of faith tradition, that seek a Catholic education.  We were seeking a servant leader with an understanding of the Catholic faith, healthy culture with modern marketing and public relations expertise to assist more children in the Phoenix Diocese."

Catholic Education Arizona is the largest provider of scholarships to low-income families attending private schools.  Since its inception in 1998, the generosity of local individual and corporate contributors has allowed Catholic Education Arizona to continually increase scholarship funding for Catholic schools, beginning with students of families with the greatest financial need.  Last year $17.1 million in contributions were made to assist nearly 50 percent of Catholic school students.  To date $200 million in tuition scholarships has been awarded to 117,000 lower-income families with qualified financial need.

Media Contact
Debra Preach
Catholic Education Arizona
[email protected]
(602) 469-4594

SOURCE Catholic Education Arizona