Judy Jolley Mohraz, Ph.D.
President and CEO

Judy joined the Trust as its first president and CEO in September 2000. Prior to joining the Trust, she was president of Goucher College in Baltimore. She received her Bachelor of Arts and master's degrees in History from Baylor University and her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Currently, she serves on the Council on Foundation's Board of Directors, the Governor's State School Readiness Board, the Advisory Board of the Morrison Institute at ASU, the board of Greater Phoenix Leadership and the Advisory Panel of William Clements Center for Southwest Studies at Southern Methodist University. She previously chaired the Council on Foundation's Committee on Public Policy and served as president of the Arizona Grantmakers Forum from 2002 to 2004.

Mary Jane Rynd

Executive Vice President and CFO

Mary Jane is responsible for all financial and human resource-related aspects of the Trust. She is a certified public accountant and a former partner in KPMG LLC and Rynd, Carneal & Ewing, PLC. Before joining the Trust, she served on the boards of numerous nonprofit organizations. She currently serves on the board of the Conference of Southwest Foundations and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Arizona Society of Certified Public Accountants. Mary Jane is a graduate of the University of St. Thomas in Houston and holds an M.P.A. from the University of Texas at Austin.

Karin H. Bishop

Grants Manager

Karin works closely with program, finance and communications staff to ensure effective monitoring and tracking of grants from initial inquiry to grant completion. Karin formerly served as the vice president of community affairs for Valley of the Sun United Way, where she was responsible for community and government relations and administering federal and local funds. Karin holds a Bachelor of Science in Human Resources - Community and Family Resources from the University of Delaware. She serves as co-chair of the Grants Managers Network.

Laurie Callan

Assistant Controller

Laurie assists with maintaining the accounting records and tracking investment activities. Prior to joining the Trust, she held various accounting positions with nonprofit organizations in Maricopa County including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona and the Scottsdale Cultural Council. Laurie holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Accounting from Arizona State University and is a certified public accountant.

Marilee L. Dal Pra

Program Director

Marilee is responsible for researching best practices and introducing special initiatives, reviewing grant proposals, meeting with potential grantees, conducting site visits and working with the Trustees to evaluate all proposals in the areas of youth and early childhood. Marilee formerly served as the director for the Governor's Division for Children, where she was responsible for coordinating policies and programs for children, youth and families. Marilee holds a Master of Education degree from Northern Arizona University and a bachelor's degree in political science from Arizona State University.

Debbie Dickey

Administrative Coordinator

Debbie supports the program directors and grantees to ensure the smooth completion of all requirements throughout the grantmaking process. She also assists the director of research and evaluation to facilitate evaluation of the Trust's awarded grants. Debbie was business manager and designer of a family run florist business and also worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Jane Ferguson

Director, Communications and External Relations

Jane is responsible for the Trust’s full range of communications strategies. She has spent most of her career in regional and national public relations and advertising firms. She managed a number of award-winning programs for leading corporations in Minnesota, including General Mills, 3M and Norwest (now Wells Fargo). More recently, she has worked in the nonprofit world, first at Mayo Clinic Rochester and then the Minnesota Council on Foundations. Jane holds a master’s degree in English language and literature from the University of Michigan. She is accredited by the Public Relations Society of America.

Lynn Hoffman

Controller

Lynn maintains the Trust's accounting records, prepares Trust financial reports and evaluates all financial information submitted by potential and current grantees. She brings a blended background of financial and educational experience to the Trust, as she is both a certified public accountant and a certified speech and language pathologist. Prior to her work with the Trust, she was affiliated with numerous nonprofit organizations in Maricopa County. Lynn holds an undergraduate degree from Occidental College and a Master of Speech and Language Pathology degree from Northwestern University.

Catherine Jahnes

Research and Evaluation Associate

Catherine assists the Director of Research and Evaluation in assessing the effectiveness and the influence of organizations and projects funded by the Trust. She received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Davidson College, where she focused on research in cognitive aging. She also served as a mathematics teacher assistant for undergraduate calculus and finite math courses.

Carol A. Kratz

Program Director

Carol is responsible for reviewing grant proposals, meeting with potential grantees, conducting site visits and working with the Trustees to evaluate proposals in the areas of older adults and arts & culture. Carol came to the Trust from the Maricopa Association of Governments, where she was responsible for planning for human services needs of children, families, older adults and persons with disabilities. She holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs and a bachelor's degree in political science from Chatham College in Pittsburgh. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Grantmakers in Aging and is a member of the Leadership Council of the National Council on Aging.   

Leslee R. Oyen

Assistant to the President

Beginning in 1999 as an assistant to the Trustees, Leslee is the first employee of the Piper Trust. Leslee provides administrative support to the Trust's president, Trustees, and executive vice president and CFO. Prior to working at the Trust, Leslee worked in the health care field and office administration.

Wayne D. Parker, Ph.D.

Director of Research and Evaluation

Wayne is responsible for evaluating the effectiveness and impact of nonprofit organizations and projects funded by the Trust. He also consults with community organizations on evaluation activities and provides information on best practices to area agencies and Trust staff. Prior to joining the Trust, Wayne was a senior researcher at Johns Hopkins University and director of institutional research at Goucher College. Wayne received bachelor's and master's degrees from Michigan State University in psychology and a Ph.D. in educational psychology research from the University of Alabama.

Gary Romero

Grants Management Associate

Gary assists the Grants Manager with monitoring and tracking proposed and approved grants. Gary also works closely with the program and administrative staff to ensure compliance with the Trust’s grantmaking policies and procedures. Previously, he worked in the same capacity for The John A. Hartford Foundation in New York City. Gary holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Montana.

Liselotte Sandell

Receptionist/Administrative Assistant

Liselotte is responsible for the Trust's main receptionist duties and assists in the field of communications. Prior to joining the Trust, she was involved in the performing arts in Sweden and San Francisco. She also has worked in the hospitality industry, and she owned and managed a food company in Northern California.

Todd Scheuring

Communications Associate

Todd is responsible for developing new media initiatives and assists the Director, Communications and External Relations in the Trust’s communications efforts. Prior to joining the Trust, Todd worked at The Antigua Group as a designer in the company’s marketing department. He holds a Bachelor’s degree with a concentration in marketing from Arizona State University, and an Associate’s degree in web design from The Art Institute of Phoenix.

Ellen Solowey

Program Associate

Ellen manages a grant portfolio which includes small grants, the Summer Youth Program Fund collaborative, and Back-to-School grants. She also assists program staff in researching best practices and monitoring active grants. Ellen has worked with homeless families and refugees, both in Arizona and the former Soviet Union, and was a Grants Officer Intern at the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust in Phoenix. She holds a Master’s of Social Work degree from Arizona State University and a Master’s of International Affairs and Soviet Studies from Columbia University.