Lorenzo Chavez named Executive Director, Education & Scholarships at the Arizona Community Foundation

The Arizona Community Foundation is pleased to announce that Lorenzo Chavez will become Executive Director, Education & Scholarships beginning March 14, 2022. He succeeds Joy Klein who will be leaving to join Friends of the Children as Executive Director of the organization’s Phoenix location later this month. Chavez has worked for Arizona State University for the past eight years, most recently serving as Associate Vice President of Community Outreach and Partnerships. He has previously worked for both the University of Arizona and Pima Community College.

Under Chavez’s leadership, ASU was able to advance educational attainment and economic development in partnership with community-based organizations, corporate partners, local and state agencies, and elected officials. Through this ecosystems approach, he was able to ensure that individuals from traditionally underrepresented groups were provided and received the support needed to access education.

In his new role, Chavez will lead ACF’s engagement with donors and partners interested in supporting programs and initiatives that impact Arizona’s public education system. He will also oversee ACF’s portfolio of college scholarships and help deploy grant funding to support Pre-Kindergarten through college education programs, including everything from early literacy to college and career readiness.

“We are honored to welcome Lorenzo as a key member of ACF’s leadership team,” said Glenn Wike, ACF Senior Vice President of Strategy & Community Investment. “His extensive experience in higher education will be an asset for both our scholarships—the largest independent program in the state—as well as our grantmaking related to quality education opportunities for all Arizonans.”

Chavez’s civic leadership includes service on the boards of Chandler Education Foundation and the Arizona SciTech Council. He is a current leadership council committee member for Opportunities for Youth and the lead of Valley Leadership’s Education Impact team.

Chavez holds a Master of Education from Northern Arizona University and a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Arizona. He resides in Phoenix and, as a first-generation college student, understands the importance of supporting educational attainment for residents from communities across the state.

Established in 1978, the Arizona Community Foundation is a statewide family of charitable funds supported by thousands of Arizonans. With five regional offices serving communities across Arizona, ACF is among the top 25 community foundations in the nation with more than $1.4 billion in trust and endowment assets, is certified under the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundation and has received the highest 4-star rating from Charity Navigator for 12 years. Since inception, ACF and its affiliates have awarded more than $1.1  billion in grants, scholarships and loans to nonprofit organizations, schools, and government agencies.