BOARD AND STAFF

Board of Directors

Vince Roig | Bio
Chairman of the Board

Paul J. Luna | Bio
President and Chief Executive Officer

Ioanna Morfessis, Ph.D. | Bio
Founding Director

Barbara J. Ralston | Bio
Founding Director

Don Aripoli, Ph.D. | Bio
Founding Director

Tom Herndon | Bio
Director

Bill Jenkins (1929-2008) | Bio
Founding Director

Management and Staff

Paul J. Luna | Bio
President and CEO

Tammi L. Crum | Bio
Executive Assistant to the President and CEO

Barbara Ryan | Bio
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Michael Chesin | Bio
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Susan Sullivan | Bio
Executive Assistant to the Chief Operating Officer & Chief Financial Officer

Ian Smith | Bio
Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer

Linda Kolsen | Bio
Senior Administrative Assistant to the Chief Communications Officer

Karen J. Ortiz | Bio
Vice President and Director of Early Childhood Education - Arizona

Stacy Carlson | Bio
Vice President and Director of Transition Years - Florida

Linda Thompson | Bio
Vice President and Director of Grants Administration

Jo Anne Vasquez | Bio
Vice President and Program Director, Transition Years - Arizona,
Teacher & Curriculum Initiatives

Antonia Franco | Bio
Vice President and Program Director, Transition Years - Arizona,
Student, Parent & Community Initiatives

Claudia Clair | Bio
Administrative Assistant

Rita Hylle | Bio
Grants Administrator

Noel McClain | Bio
Human Resource Generalist

Lindsay Thomas | Bio
Program Administrator

Georgette DeSalvo | Bio
Administrative Assistant

Vince Roig

Helios Education Foundation, Chairman

Vince Roig serves as chairman of the Board of the Foundation. Prior to forming the Foundation, Mr. Roig was the Chairman of the Board, President, and CEO of Southwest Student Services Corporation and its affiliates for over twenty years. Southwest was a full service provider of student loan products and services to students, families and schools in Arizona, Florida and nationally. While with Southwest, Mr. Roig was responsible for overall management and direction of Southwest and its affiliates and was the driving force behind its evolution from small secondary market to one of the largest independent student lender/servicers in the country. In February 2004, the Board of Directors of Southwest and its affiliates, Arizona Educational Loan Marketing Corporation (AELMAC) and Florida Education Loan Marketing Corporation (FELMAC), elected to convert and reorganize the companies in order to create an education foundation. To accomplish the reorganization, Southwest and FELMAC were merged into AELMAC and the resulting entity was renamed Helios Education Foundation. All of the student loan operations of Southwest and its affiliates were transferred to a newly created for-profit Southwest Student Services Corporation, which was a wholly owned subsidiary of Helios. In a transaction effective October 15, 2004, Helios sold the stock of Southwest Student Services Corporation to SLM Corporation for just over $500 million. The net proceeds of the sale funded Helios.

Before forming Southwest and its affiliates, Mr. Roig was a vice president for United Student Aid Funds (USA Funds), responsible for the administration of the Arizona Education Loan Program, the state-designated student loan guarantor for Arizona. Mr. Roig serves or has served on the Boards of numerous organizations, including the Arizona College Scholarship Foundation, Arizona Health Facilities Authority, Education Finance Council, ELM Resources, Inc., Greater Phoenix Leadership, former Chairman of Life Teen International, National Council of Higher Education Loan Programs, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix Advisory Aviation Board, Take Stock in Children, Valley of the Sun United Way, and Valley of the Sun United Way Foundation.

Mr. Roig received his Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education from Athens College and his Master of Science in Secondary Education from Richmond College of the City University of New York. Vince Roig and his wife Jane split their time between their homes in Scottsdale, Arizona and Naples, Florida.

Paul J. Luna

President and Chief Executive Officer, Helios Education Foundation

Paul J. Luna was named president of Helios Education Foundation in October 2006 and was recently promoted to president and chief executive officer in January 2008. He brings more than 22 years public and private professional experience to his leadership role with the Foundation. As president, Mr. Luna is responsible for guiding the strategic direction of the growing organization, cultivating strong community relationships and initiating strategic partnerships in Arizona and Florida for the Foundation. Prior to his role at Helios, Mr. Luna served as president of Valley of the Sun United Way where he led an organizational transformation and community-wide fundraising effort approaching $50 million. Under his presidency, Valley of the Sun United Way was consistently recognized as a leader across the United Way system with model early childhood education, youth workforce development and domestic violence intervention community initiatives. Mr. Luna has nearly 10 years corporate experience in sales and marketing with Pepsi Cola and IBM. He currently serves on the Arizona Early Childhood Development & Health Board, the Governor’s P-20 Education Council, and the City of Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport Citizen’s Advisory Board. A graduate of Stanford University, Mr. Luna holds a degree in Civil Engineering.

Dr. Ioanna Morfessis

IO.INC, President

As a business and economic development executive, Dr. Ioanna Morfessis has spent 25 years helping business, institutions and communities create and execute change and growth strategies. Her accomplishments in regional economic development, life sciences and technology-based developments and programs, and her ability to forge enduring and effective private-public alliances between business, government and education have earned her national renown for her groundbreaking work. In February 2004, Dr. Morfessis founded a new consulting practice, IO.INC, to help private and public leaders create and maximize growth opportunities for their organizations. Prior to starting her own company, she was the founding President and Chief Executive Officer of the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore, that region’s private-public partnership for economic development. For the first time in the region’s 300+ year history, local and state governments joined together with business and educational leaders to expand economic and earnings potential for the entire community. In just five years, the Economic Alliance helped generate more than $5.2 billion of new private economic activity in Greater Baltimore’s economy. Dr. Morfessis was recruited to Baltimore in 1997 from Phoenix, Arizona, where she had served as the founding President/CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council. While there, she helped lead the movement to combine 18 organizations into a unified effort, and to transform the Phoenix region’s economy into one of the highest performing urban economies in the US. For years, she was consistently ranked as the most influential woman in metropolitan Phoenix. Previously, she served as the inaugural Director of Economic Development in Montgomery County, Maryland, where she initiated what today is one of the world’s foremost life sciences and biotechnology centers. Dr. Morfessis served as the Chairman of the International Economic Development Council from 1993-1995, and has served on its Board for 20 years. As a civic steward, Dr. Morfessis serves or has served on the boards of many local, state and national charities and non-profit organizations, including art and science museums, community foundations, private charitable trusts and service organizations. Throughout her career, she has received numerous awards and acclamations, had many articles published in respected trade journals and has appeared on several major network and cable television and radio programs. Dr. Morfessis received her bachelor’s degree from The American University (summa cum laude), her master’s degree from George Washington University, and her doctorate from Arizona State University. She resides in Phoenix, Arizona.

Barbara J. Ralston

Camelback Community Bank, Chairman

Mrs. Ralston is the founder and Chairman of Camelback Community Bank located in Phoenix, Arizona. The bank opened for business May 20, 1998. Her banking career spans more than 30 years and three bank acquisitions. She was the President of Continental Service Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Continental Bank until Continental was acquired and she became Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Chase Bank of Arizona. After the 1994 acquisition of Chase Bank of Arizona by First Interstate Bank, she served as Phoenix Area President. Wells Fargo acquired First Interstate in 1996 and she assumed the role of Senior Vice President and Division Manager of in-store banking in Arizona and Nevada.

Mrs. Ralston is an active community volunteer. She serves on the board of directors of Camelback Community Bank, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Arizona, nFocus Software, ATHENA Powerlink, Great Hearts Preparatory Academies and Fresh Start Women’s Foundation. She is a governor’s appointee to the State School Readiness Board. She has previously served as international president of Financial Women International, chairman of Arizona Bankers Association, America West Airlines Education Foundation, American Bankers Association Education Foundation, Arizona Town Hall and a member of the American Bankers Association board.

U.S. Banker magazine has named Mrs. Ralston one of the fifty most powerful women in the banking industry in the United States. Mrs. Ralston has been recognized for her leadership as the recipient of a number of prestigious awards.

Don Aripoli

Missouri State University, Vice President Emeritus and Director of Student Affairs Development

Dr. Don Aripoli is the Vice President Emeritus and Director of Student Affairs Development at Missouri State. He has been at Missouri State University since July of 1993. Prior to coming to Missouri State, he was the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs at the University of Arizona. He was also the Director of Financial Aid and High School Relations at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Dr. Aripoli worked for the Department of Education and the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare from 1976 to 1979.

In his new role as Vice President Emeritus and Director of Student Affairs Development at Missouri State, Dr. Aripoli will be involved with alumni and development activities at the Foundation, teach graduate students and encourage the implementation of a model wellness program at the University. Dr. Aripoli is a member of the University of South Florida Board of Directors.

Dr. Aripoli received his undergraduate degree from Cornell College, his masters from Indiana University, and his doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Aripoli and his wife Becky have three children - Matt, Holly, and Scott. They also have two grandchildren named Hudson and Graham.

Tom Herndon

Executive Director of the Florida State Board of Administration (FSBA) (retired)

In a state government career that spanned 32 years, Tom Herndon served at the highest levels of management in Florida government including key positions in the executive branch, the Legislature, and the Cabinet. A Florida native, Mr. Herndon started his government career working as a child abuse counselor in his hometown of St. Petersburg. Mr. Herndon ended his public service career as the Executive Director of the Florida State Board of Administration (FSBA), managing $125 billion dollars of the State's investments and pension fund assets. Mr. Herndon served as chief-of-staff to both Governor Graham and Governor Chiles. He was appointed as the Executive Director of the Department of Revenue by the Cabinet headed by Governor Martinez; and he served under a Board of Trustees for the FSBA, chaired by Governor Bush. Mr. Herndon also enjoys the rare experience of having served as a senior official in all three branches of Florida's fiscal system. Mr. Herndon collected the revenues as Director of the Department of Revenue, appropriated the revenues as Staff Director of the powerful Appropriations Committee for the House of Representatives, and budgeted and expended the revenues during his six years as the State's Director of Planning and Budget. Mr. Herndon is the recipient of several state and national public services awards including the prestigious Florida Distinguished Service Medal for Exceptionally Meritorious Service to the State presented in 1995. Mr. Herndon is a graduate of the University of South Florida and earned a Masters degree at Florida State University. Mr. Herndon is very active in the Tallahassee community and currently serves on the boards of Capitol Health Plan, the Claude Pepper Foundation and the Lawton Chiles Foundation. Tom Herndon and his wife Cathie have lived in Tallahassee for over 30 years and have two married daughters and four grandchildren.

William C. Jenkins (1929-2008)

Retired Teacher, Scottsdale Public Schools

Helios Education Foundation’s board of directors and staff express heart-felt condolences on the passing of one of our founding board members, Bill Jenkins. His visionary leadership, guiding spirit and commitment to the fundamentals of education across Arizona and Florida will be sorely missed. We cherish his legacy and are encouraged to know that his work has left an indelible mark and will continue to create opportunities for student success across the education continuum.

Bill Jenkins was a founding board member of Southwest Student Services Corporation, which had become one of the largest holders of student loans in the country in 2002. He helped shape the sale and conversion of Southwest into Helios Education Foundation, the largest foundation dedicated to impacting education in Arizona and Florida.

Bill's commitment to education extends decades. He was a former Councilman and Mayor for the city of Scottsdale, and he was also a retired school teacher who taught American and Arizona History, American Government and Economics in the Scottsdale school system for almost 30 years. Bill was a past president and treasurer of the Scottsdale Historical Society, a member of the Arizona Historical Society, a member of the U.S. Naval Institute, and a member of the Naval Order of the United States.

He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Arizona State University, a Master of Arts degree in History from Arizona State University, and completed additional graduate work in history at ASU and the University of Montana.

For more information on the life and legacy of Bill Jenkins, click here.

Tammi L. Crum

Executive Assistant to the President and CEO

Tammi Crum brings nearly 15 years of corporate and non-profit experience to her position as executive assistant with Helios Education Foundation. Ms. Crum provides daily support to the president and the Foundation’s seven-member board of directors. Prior to joining the Helios team, Ms. Crum was executive assistant to the president at Valley of the Sun United Way where she managed and mentored a team of nine administrative staff. She was also executive assistant to the vice president/general manager for Enterprise Rent-a-Car. Ms. Crum has extensive background in marketing, special events planning and public relations with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Scottsdale, the Arthritis Foundation, Southern Arizona Chapter and Forest City Commercial Management in Tucson, Arizona. Ms. Crum earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing from the University of Arizona.

Barbara Ryan

Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Barbara Ryan is Helios Education Foundation’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. As COO, she provides strategic direction to the Foundation, overseeing internal operations in addition to fostering external community and stakeholder relations. Prior to joining Helios, Ms. Ryan served six years with Southwest Student Services Corporation first as vice president and then as senior vice president and general counsel. Her responsibilities included managing all legal and compliance matters for Southwest and its Arizona and Florida affiliates as well as the legal development of Helios Education Foundation following the sale of Southwest. Ms. Ryan was also previously an attorney in private practice at Snell & Wilmer, LLP, where she represented a number of corporate and public clients. Ms. Ryan received her J.D. degree from Syracuse University College of Law and a M.P.A. degree from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

Michael Chesin

Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Michael Chesin is senior vice president and chief financial officer for Helios Education Foundation. Mr. Chesin provides financial management and oversight to the organization’s endowment. As part of the senior management team, he helps guide organizational strategy and shares human resource management responsibilities. Prior to the Foundation, Mr. Chesin was controller and assistant treasurer for Southwest Student Services Corporation, a $5.3 billion student loan and financial services company. His professional background also includes financial and accounting manager roles with The Circle K Corporation as well as with national Certified Accounting Firms. A Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Mr. Chesin has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Arizona.

Ian Smith

Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer

Ian Smith is senior vice president and chief communications officer for Helios Education Foundation. Mr. Smith provides strategic brand, marketing and public relations leadership to the Foundation. As the most senior-level representative for Helios in Florida, he manages the Tampa office and is responsible for statewide community relations. Mr. Smith brings more than 13 years of professional television, print media, public relations and corporate communications experience to Helios. A former news producer, and an Accredited Public Relations Counselor (APR) and Certified Public Relations Counselor (CPRC), his professional experience includes serving as the communications director for the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, director of public affairs for the Florida Home Builders Association, and deputy director of communications for the Florida Department of Community Affairs. Mr. Smith earned his Master of Arts degree in English from Florida State University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Journalism from Florida A&M University.

Susan Sullivan

Executive Assistant to the COO and CFO

Susan Sullivan brings over 25 years of public and private sector experience to her position as executive assistant with Helios Education Foundation. Ms. Sullivan provides daily support to the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer and the Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining the Helios team, Ms. Sullivan was Assistant to the President and Chief Financial Officer at Catalytica Energy Systems, Inc. and served as Investor Relations Specialist / Assistant to the President at Microtest, Inc., respectively. Additionally, Ms. Sullivan has served as Vice President, Programs and Communications for the non-profit Scottsdale Supporters of the Gifted.

Karen J. Ortiz

Vice President and Director of Early Childhood Education - Arizona

Karen J. Ortiz brings more than 22 years academic and professional experience in early childhood education to her role as vice president and director of Arizona early childhood education. A former early childhood policy advisor to Arizona’s Governor Janet Napolitano and director of the State Board of School Readiness, Ms. Ortiz has helped lead statewide initiatives impacting children, ages 0-5, and their families. She is a part-time adjunct instructor in early childhood professional development with Central Arizona College.

Additional professional experience includes being a senior program associate for Children’s Action Alliance, an advocacy, research and education organization focused on early childhood and family issues. She is also one of the founders and the former executive vice president of DependentCare Network, Inc., a company offering child and elder care benefits, a network of child care providers, and a sick care program to employees of contracted corporations nationwide. A former elementary school nurse and substitute teacher, Ms. Ortiz has practical experience within school district and classroom settings. She holds a Masters degree in Education, with an Early Childhood focus, and Undergraduate degrees in business and nursing. Ms. Ortiz is currently completing her Doctoral degree in the area of Early Childhood Education and Policy at Arizona State University.

Stacy Carlson

Vice President and Director of Transition Years - Florida

Stacy Carlson comes to Helios Education Foundation with expertise and leadership in education policy and advocacy. She brings close to 10 years of experience in foundation development and capacity building to her role as Vice President and Director of Transition Years. As the former executive director of the statewide, member-based organization the Consortium of Florida Education Foundations, Stacy spearheaded the group’s legislative and funding initiatives, advocated for education policy and helped member foundations build organizational capacity.

Stacy once served as a non-profit management and fundraising consultant and also as the Assistant Director of Development at Tufts University. She has also worked as Development Director of Communities in Schools at Hillsborough Education Foundation. Stacy is a doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership at the University of Florida and holds a master of education from Harvard University. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of South Florida.

As part of her new role at Helios Education Foundation, Stacy will work in conjunction with the Foundation’s community investment team to identify partnership opportunities and implement the Foundation’s strategic investment goals in Florida.

Lindsay Thomas

Program Administrator

Lindsay Thomas is the Program Administrator for Helios Education Foundation. In her role, she provides both program and administrative support to the program directors. Her career experience includes having worked in the programs and scholarship areas at the Arizona Community Foundation, where she served as a liaison between the Foundation and the more than 500 recipients who attended over 50 colleges and universities. She also provided grant, development and community liaison support for the Foundation’s educational programs. She is a graduate of Arizona State University and once interned at U.S. Congressman Matt Salmon’s office and at Fox News. She also spent two sessions in the Arizona House of Representatives as a legislative attaché.

Linda Thompson

Vice President and Director of Grants Administration

Linda A. Thompson comes to Helios Education Foundation with expertise and extensive experience in developing, implementing and administering grants programs. In addition, she brings over 20 years of experience in nonprofit management to her role as Vice President and Director of Grants Administration. Most recently with Valley of the Sun United Way, Linda led a team that redesigned that organization’s investment policies and processes. As a member of the United Way of America’s Strategies and Metrics Pilot Project, she also created standardized outcome measurement process aligned to broader national goals.

Ms. Thompson’s career in the nonprofit arena began in the area of women and children’s health. After working with the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, she transitioned to the Arizona Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics where she designed and implemented a statewide, school-linked, volunteer health care provider network for uninsured children. Linda has held executive director positions in the Phoenix area at organizations related to children and children’s health. She holds a Bachelor of Science and a Masters of Health Service Administration, both from Arizona State University.
As part of her role at Helios Education Foundation, Linda will oversee the ongoing strategic development of the community investment process including measuring and evaluation.

Georgette DeSalvo

Administrative Assistant

Georgette DeSalvo serves as the administrative assistant for Helios Education Foundation's Tampa office. She directly supports the Vice President of Transition Years and provides reception and additional administrative support to staff at the Tampa office.

For the past four years, Georgette was employed as Development Specialist at Lighthouse Credit Foundation, a debt management and credit counseling agency in Largo, Florida. She also served for five years as Executive Assistant and Board Liaison at the Edwin Gould Foundation for Children in New York City. Ms. DeSalvo discovered her passion for non-profit work after she graduated from high school and found employment at the Society for Children and Families in Staten Island, NY. She continued working there for nine years while also obtaining her B.A. from The City University of New York.

Rita Hylle

Grants Administrator

Rita Hylle, grant administrator for Helios Education Foundation, oversees the grant administration process for the Foundation. Working closely with program staff, she helps direct organizational resources into programs and initiatives as well as manages community partner relationships. Ms. Hylle also provides support to the Chairman of the Board and CEO. The first Helios employee, Ms. Hylle was instrumental in getting both the Phoenix and Tampa offices open. Her former professional experience includes serving as the executive assistant to the president, chairman and chief executive officer of Southwest Student Services Corporation for six years and executive assistant at Poudre Valley Hospital in Colorado. Ms. Hylle has attended the University of Minnesota and is currently working toward a degree in non-profit management at Arizona State University.

Linda Kolsen

Senior Administrative Assistant

Linda Kolsen is senior administrative assistant for Helios Education Foundation. In her role with the Foundation, she provides administrative and marketing support to the senior vice president and chief communications officer. Prior to joining Helios, Ms. Kolsen spent more than five years providing administrative support to the Director of the University of South Florida's Collaborative for Children, Families & Communities and the Associate Vice President for Economic Development and Executive Director of the USF Research Foundation. She brings to Helios more than 25 years of administrative experience having worked for major corporations such as IBM in New York and MCI Telecommunications, Capital One Financial, Borders Group Inc. and Cigna Healthcare in the Tampa Bay area.

Claudia Clair

Administrative Assistant

Claudia Clair is administrative assistant for Helios Education Foundation. In her role with the Foundation, she provides administrative and receptionist support to the Helios team. Ms. Clair’s career path has included sales, marketing and media buying positions with The Futon Store, The Great Indoors and Dillard’s Department stores. She has attended Niagara Falls Community College and Phoenix College.

Noel McClain

Human Resource Generalist

Noel McClain is Helios Education Foundation’s human resource generalist. Her responsibilities include managing the human resource policies and procedures of the Foundation, and providing support to the chief financial officer in the financial accounting and management of the organization. Ms. McClain’s professional experience includes serving as the senior human resources positions with the City of Surprise and City of Scottsdale. In addition, she was human resources supervisor for the Arizona Department of Public Safety and human resources manager for Staff Administrators in Denver, Colorado. A member of the Society for Human Resources Management, Ms. McClain earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Human Resources Management from the University of Arizona.

Jo Anne Vasquez, Ph.D.

Vice President and Program Director, Transition Years - Arizona, Teacher and Curriculum Initiatives

Jo Anne Vasquez brings to the Foundation many years of experience in K-16 education. She has been a classroom teacher and district science specialist for Mesa Public Schools, an adjunct professor of science education at Arizona State University and most recently was the director of professional development and outreach for ASU’s Center for Research on Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology (CRESMET). She is a graduate of NAU and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology, a Master’s in Early Childhood Education and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction.

Jo Anne is currently a Presidential appointee to the National Science Board, the governing board of the National Science Foundation. She is a Past President of the National Science Teachers Association, National Science Education Leadership Association, Arizona Science Teachers Association, and the International Council of Science Education.

Antonia Franco

Vice President and Program Director, Transition Years - Arizona, Student, Parent & Community Initiatives

Antonia O. Franco brings more than 12 years experience to her role with Helios Education Foundation as vice president and program director of Arizona transition years – students, parents and community initiatives. Her experience includes work at Arizona State University (ASU) in K-12 outreach, recruitment, retention, and parent and community involvement.

Previously Antonia served as the director of the Access ASU Initiative in the Office of the Vice President for University Student Initiatives. Antonia also has served as executive coordinator of the Multicultural Student Center, overseeing student retention efforts and as the director of the Hispanic Mother-Daughter Program, a long-standing outreach program that prepares 7th – 12th grade students for college with the support of their mother and family.

Antonia is currently a Doctoral candidate in Educational Administration and Supervision with the Mary Lou Fulton College of Education at Arizona State University. She also holds a Masters degree in Higher and Postsecondary Education as well as Bachelors degree in Business Administration from Northern Arizona University.