D.J. Cole has been serving as Treasurer on the Board of Directors at Catholic Education Arizona for over four years and offering both professional and financial perspective on the CEA Finance Committee. Nancy Padberg and the team were thrilled to have D.J. Cole on the Creating Future Leaders Podcast to reflect on the importance of Catholic Education and the benefits of corporate and individual tax credits.

Benefits of Catholic Education

D.J. Cole first learned about CEA soon after the tax credit legislation passed and got involved right away to give back and help provide opportunity for students. He grew up attending Catholic schools throughout his upbringing and is a Catholic school parent as well. This drives his decision to commit his time and expertise to the CEA Board.

He sees firsthand the value of Catholic education, not only in the high-quality education they receive, but also in the spirit of community and the importance that’s placed on serving others. Having been involved in Catholic education for decades, he loves hearing the many stories of Catholic school alumni’s in Arizona who have made a great impact for their community since graduating.

Catholic Education’s Ripple Effect

Since D.J. has been a part of CEA since the beginning, he’s gotten to lend his expertise and witness the organization blossom and grow. “This organization has some very, very committed and passionate team members, and great leadership” he says. He believes greatly in the mission of CEA, pointing out the ripple effect that giving children a high-quality Catholic education has on our community and the business community.

“They’re going to be in the business community, they will be our future leaders, in civic roles and churches and schools and in business. So I think, as a corporate citizen, we want to be able to contribute and be a part of that”, he says.

He is also encouraged to see an increasing number of CEA connections, partnerships and outreach happening in the Greater Phoenix area and across Arizona. It is especially exciting to see the business partnerships being made, because the more businesses that contribute their corporate tax credits to supporting Catholic education, the more lives that are changed.

For more information on corporate tax credits, please visit https://catholiceducationarizona.org/ or call our office at (602) 218-6542.