Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Recognizes Five Dynamic Nonprofit Leaders

VIRGINIA G. PIPER CHARITABLE TRUST Press Release
December 6, 2012

Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Recognizes Five Dynamic Nonprofit Leaders
Piper Trust Selects its 2012 Piper Fellows

PHOENIX, Ariz.—Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust has named its 12th class of Piper Fellows—five nonprofit leaders who work daily to enhance quality of life for people in Maricopa County’s communities.
Piper Fellowships enable these dedicated leaders to participate in self-designed, professional development sabbaticals to strengthen their skills and explore new knowledge that they can in turn take back to the organizations they lead and serve.

The 2012 Piper Fellows are: Carlos Galindo-Elvira, chief development officer, Valle del Sol; Christine Girard, executive vice-president, Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine; Doug Hirano, executive director, Asian Pacific Community in Action; Terry Hines, chief operating officer, Child Crisis Center; and David Noble, development director, Sun Sounds of Arizona.

“The time and resources that a Piper Fellowship provides can be transformational for our seasoned and vibrant nonprofit leaders who are often stretched thin on many levels. Piper Trust sees this investment in human potential as an invaluable way to reenergize leaders and stimulate new thinking,” said Judy Jolley Mohraz, president and CEO, Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust.

The newly selected Piper Fellows, chosen via a competitive process, will complete individual sabbaticals in 2013 and become part of the enduring Piper Fellows “alumni” group that meets monthly in facilitated Learning Circles to share professional issues and challenges common among nonprofit leaders. Up to five new Piper Fellows are selected each year; 51 nonprofit leaders have participated in the program to date.

Fellows’ field work during a fellowship has ranged from study with some of the world’s most renowned thinkers and innovators (e.g., at MIT, Stanford, Harvard, Disney Institute, Sesame Street Workshop) to immersion programs that expand cultural knowledge and insights. Fellowships have led to outcomes such as: reinvention of a 35-year-old organization; and leadership development that fostered risk-taking and creativity resulting in new programming.

A Piper Fellowship offers each selected organization potential awards up to $90,000; the first $30,000 is intended to provide each selected professional with expenses for study, travel, and opportunities to visit best practice sites around the country. The Trust also awards up to $10,000 for new or increased professional development for the staff of each awardee organization. In addition, Fellows are eligible to apply for a $50,000 Organizational Enhancement Award 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 Piper Fellow recommendations to Piper Trust’s Board of Trustees. Judges this year were: Barbara Fenster, executive director, Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona (2011 Piper Fellow); Tara Jackson, president, Arizona Town Hall; and Jack Jewett, president and CEO, Flinn Foundation.

About Piper Trust:
A private independent foundation, Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust honors Virginia Galvin Piper’s philanthropic commitment to changing lives and strengthening community in Maricopa County (Arizona). By investing in nonprofits and encouraging strategic planning for the future, Piper Trust strives to make Maricopa County a stronger, more nurturing, and vibrant community. Since it began awarding grants in 2000, Piper Trust has invested more than $300 million in local nonprofits and programs. The Trust had total grants paid of $21.9 million in fiscal year 2012. Piper Trust grantmaking areas are healthcare and medical research, children, older adults, arts and culture, education and religious organizations. For more information, visit www.pipertrust.org. Follow us on Twitter @PiperTrust / Like us on Facebook.

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Karen Leland, 480-556-7125 / kleland@pipertrust.org
Director, Communications and External Relations
Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust
1202 East Missouri Avenue
Phoenix, Arizona  85014