Piper Trust Names Five 2009 Piper Fellows

PHOENIX (December 16, 2009)—Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust has awarded Piper Fellowships to five exemplary nonprofit leaders in Maricopa County who will participate in self-designed sabbaticals to build their leadership and organizational effectiveness.

The 2009 Piper Fellows are Amy Caffarello, executive director, St. Joseph the Worker; Elaine McGinn, director of planning and exhibits, Desert Botanical Garden; Dr. Paul Mittman, president and CEO, Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine; Margaret "Peggy" Mullan, president and CEO, Beatitudes Campus; and Mary Peterson, co-founder and executive director, Maggie's Place.

"Piper Fellowships fund opportunities for these gifted leaders that normally can't be covered in tight nonprofit budgets," said Judy Jolley Mohraz, Ph.D., president and CEO of the Piper Trust. "We are aware of the pressures of high-impact jobs in the nonprofit world and offer these sabbaticals as a source for Valley leaders to retool, refresh and renew their skills."

The Piper Fellowships, each providing up to $30,000, are intended to provide professionals in the nonprofit field with expenses for study, travel and opportunities to visit best practice sites around the country.

Since 2001, Piper Trust has awarded 37 nonprofit executive Piper Fellow sabbaticals.

In addition to providing a maximum of five fellowships annually, Piper Trust awards up to $10,000 for new or increased professional development for each awardee organization’s staff. In addition, new fellows are eligible to apply for a $50,000 Organization Enhancement Grant to implement some aspect of their fellowship projects.

A committee of three community leaders, including one Piper Fellow from the previous year's class, made fellow recommendations from among 22 applications. Judges this year were Ioanna Morfessis, Ph.D., founding director of Helios Education Foundation; John Murphy, former president of the Flinn Foundation; and 2008 Piper Fellow Daniel Scoggin, Ph.D., chief executive officer, Great Hearts Academies.