Leadership
Associates
 Nancy Padberg, MBAPresident & CEO+ Read Bio |
npadberg@ceaz.org |
 Deb PreachChief Operating Officer+ Read Bio |
dpreach@ceaz.org |
 Caitlin Wooten, MBA, MSLVice President, Finance & Compliance+ Read Bio |
cwooten@ceaz.org |
 Sandra PusacDirector of Operations+ Read Bio |
spusac@ceaz.org |
 Colleen WillCorporate Associate, Parish Relations & Events Manager+ Read Bio |
colleenwill@ceaz.org |
 Amanda KoldenFinance Associate+ Read Bio |
akolden@ceaz.org |
 Jill GossettDirector of Corporate Acquisition+ Read Bio |
jgossett@ceaz.org |
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kmccann@ceaz.org |
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mmaciel@ceaz.org |
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jboucher@ceaz.org |
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skriwiel@ceaz.org |
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pgray@ceaz.org |
Miranda Maciel, Ed.D.
Sarah Kriwiel, M.Ed.
Pamela GrayNancy Padberg
Deb Preach
Deb Preach is the Chief Operating Officer for Catholic Education Arizona. The last twenty-nine years of Deb’s professional life has been working for Catholic schools in the Diocese of Phoenix in some capacity, including fifteen years as the Catholic Youth Athletics Association Athletic Director. Deb’s areas of specialization and expertise include school tuition organizations, school operations, scholarship administration, and individual and corporate tax credit donor acquisition. As the liaison for our schools, Deb works to inform, inspire and ignite the community on the benefit of Catholic education in our state and promotes Catholic education as a right for all children, and not a privilege! A native Arizonian, Deb has been married to her husband Brett for 33 years, and their four grown daughters attended Catholic schools in the Diocese of Phoenix.
Caitlin Wooten
Caitlin Wooten, MBA, MSL is Catholic Education Arizona’s Vice President, Finance & Compliance. Prior to CEA Caitlin spent five years with the Arizona Department of Revenue where she honed her specialized skills in Accounting, School Tuition Organization compliance, and individual and corporate tax credit law and processes. Caitlin developed her belief in “Men and Women in Service of Others” and the importance of developing students as a whole person to build a better society while completing her BS in Accounting and Finance at Regis University in Denver, Colorado. Caitlin enjoys spending quality time with her four children ranging from nine months to twelve years old and three dogs as well as the occasional paint-and-sip class when she gets a moment to herself.
Sandra Pusac
Sandra Pusac is the Director of Operations for Catholic Education Arizona. Her work experience in data management and customer service prior to CEA has been at Catholic schools in the Diocese of Phoenix. She has five children with her husband Charles, and all have attended Catholic schools in the Phoenix diocese. Sandee believes in the mission of Catholic Education Arizona, where she believes we change lives one scholarship at a time. She is genuinely filled with joy through her service to families that partner with CEA and is so grateful to be able to impact lives every single day.
Colleen Will
Colleen Will is the Advancement and Parish Relations Liaison at Catholic Education Arizona. Colleen’s previous professional experience has been in customer service and client relations. As Advancement and Parish Relations Liaison, Colleen establishes strong relationships with pastors and provides education to the community surrounding CEA’s mission. For Colleen, it is so gratifying to work for an organization that is trying to ease the financial burden of Catholic education for families. . She is passionate about our local Catholic schools and the educational and spiritual foundation that they provide to children. Colleen was born in Fargo, North Dakota, and attended Catholic schools throughout her life. She and her husband Jeffrey have been married for four decades and share two daughters and two grandchildren
Amanda Kolden
Amanda is a native of Arizona and has been happily married to her husband for 16 years. They share two beautiful children together, who also attend one of our Diocese of Phoenix Catholic schools. She not only has the knowledge of how School Tuition Organizations can serve the school from an administrative side, but she also values and appreciates the opportunities the School Tuition Organization create as a parent. In her free time, you can find Amanda cooking delicious meals, baking pies (her favorite being lemon pie), enjoying quality time with her family and friends, and all things photography (especially, taking shots of the moon).
Jill Gossett
Jill Gossett joins CEA as Director of Corporate Acquisition, focusing on growing Corporate Partnerships. She will work on building relationships with S-Corp and C-Corp business leaders, educating them about how easy it is to participate, and asking them to redirect their Arizona tax liability to support student scholarships.
Jill grew up in Burr Ridge, Illinois (a southwest suburb of Chicago), and spent summers in Scotland at her ancestral home (5 miles south of St. Andrews, the Home of Golf). Her family occasionally escaped to Phoenix for a break from the harsh Chicago winters. Later, Jill attended and graduated from Arizona State University with a B.A. in Political Science and studied Broadcast Journalism.
Before joining CEA, Jill’s career was in broadcast media sales management, advertising, and marketing, working in major media markets including Chicago, Washington DC, Jacksonville, Grand Rapids, and Phoenix for the past 18 years. She’s worked at CBS Radio, Clear Channel Radio & Outdoor, Univision Radio & TV, NBC 12NEWS, and others.
Jill is an adult converted Catholic, as is her husband, Kevin Gossett. Both entered the Catholic faith on the same day and year, but in separate states, before they met! They learned this while working together at WGRD AM/FM in Grand Rapids, Michigan where Kevin was the Program Director / Morning Show Host and Jill was in Radio Sales & Management. Together, their broadcast careers blossomed, taking them to larger and larger markets until they finally returned to Arizona, as both are ASU grads, having attended the University several years apart from each other. The Gossett family resides in Ahwatukee and attends St. Benedict’s Catholic Church. Son, James, is in his third year at the University of Arizona.
Keli McCann
Keli McCann serves as the Director of Corporate Acquisition in Catholic Education Arizona’s Changing Lives with Legacy division. With nine years of experience as a Director of Development at Annunciation Catholic School, she oversaw various responsibilities including managing the annual fund, organizing fundraising events, handling marketing and social media, coordinating the parent organization and volunteers, supervising the garden club, the student ambassador program, and entrepreneur club, as well as leading individual and corporate tax credit initiatives.
Keli embraced and converted to Catholicism when her son began attending Annunciation Catholic School in 2011. Additionally, she volunteers as an usher/greeter and eucharistic minister at St. Gabriel Catholic Parish. Keli is deeply passionate about making Catholic education accessible to all families and is dedicated to forming community partnerships to support Catholic education through charitable donations. Furthermore, Keli and her team will work diligently to secure various types of donations, including cash gifts, bequests, real estate, IRA-qualified charitable donations, and more.
Originally from Arizona, Keli attended ASU along with 29 other family members. She and her husband have been married for 25 years and had their marriage convalidated at St. Gabriel Catholic Church in 2023. They have two children, with the younger one currently attending ASU.
Miranda Maciel
Miranda Maciel joins the Catholic Education Arizona (CEA) team as a Director of Development for the Changing Lives Division. Miranda graduated from Bourgade Catholic High School (class of 2013) and is a proud first-generation college student. She received her bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University in Communications, and her master’s degree from Grand Canyon University in Leadership and earned her doctoral degree from the University of Dayton.
Before joining the CEA team, she worked in the Diocese of Phoenix for 9 years as a member of the Communications Office, Development team at the Catholic Community Foundation, and Admissions Director at Bourgade Catholic High School. She looks forward to using her passion for education here at CEA in the Changing Lives Division to connect with those who wish to make a difference in the lives of students around the Diocese of Phoenix.
Joel Boucher
With over a decade of experience in nonprofit business management and advancement, Joel Boucher brings a wealth of expertise to Catholic Education Arizona. Throughout his career, Joel has held key leadership roles in fundraising, donor relations, and community engagement at organizations such as Notre Dame Preparatory, Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona, and Rise Against Hunger.
Joel has witnessed firsthand the transformative power of education—not only in shaping the lives of students but in creating lasting change for entire families. Driven by a passion for making high-quality Catholic education accessible to all, Joel is committed to empowering donors to align their philanthropic goals with meaningful opportunities that reflect their values.
Joel holds a Master’s degree in Athletic Administration and Kinesiology from Concordia University Irvine. Outside of his professional endeavors, Joel enjoys coaching youth sports, spending time with his wife and five children, and exploring the great outdoors.
Sarah Kriwiel, M.Ed.
Sarah joins as a Director of Development for the Changing Lives with Legacy Division, the traditional donations and planned gifts division that funds scholarships for underserved, disabled, foster, and K-12 students. Sarah has an extensive history of advancing philanthropic efforts within educational and non-profit organizations, and we are blessed to have her as part of the team!
As the first Director of Alumni and Development at Kapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic High School in Wichita, Kansas, Sarah played a pivotal role in building the school’s alumni network from the ground up. She also served as the Director of Alumni Relations at Newman University, a Catholic college in Wichita, where she was part of a team that successfully raised over $35 million for a new science teaching center. “My expertise in cultivating relationships with donors, alumni, and community partners has resulted in sustained financial growth and increased engagement,” Sarah added. She has led numerous successful campaigns throughout her career, securing funding for academic programs, scholarships, and facility improvements.
Growing up in a large Catholic family in Wichita, Kansas, Sarah personally experienced the power of affordable Catholic education. She attended Catholic schools from kindergarten through 12th grade tuition-free, thanks to the stewardship way of life embraced by the Diocese of Wichita. Having been blessed with this incredible gift, Sarah is honored to now help Arizona families gain the same opportunity for their children.
Pamela Gray
Pamela joins as Director of Development focused on Individual and Family Foundation Giving. Her mission is to ensure that all of the students we serve receive access to life-changing scholarships.
With more than 14 years of experience in nonprofit development and philanthropy, Pamela brings a wealth of knowledge and a deep passion for connecting donors to purpose—and we’re thrilled to have her on board!
Her connection to education began during her time with Pearson Education, where she honed her skills in communication and engagement. From there, she transitioned into the nonprofit world, where she has held many impactful roles. As a Regional Philanthropy Officer with the American Red Cross serving the Southwest region, she led annual gala events and secured sponsorships and grants from corporate foundations. She built strong workplace giving and corporate partnership programs. During her tenure, she transitioned into individual and family foundation giving.
“My greatest joy as a nonprofit leader is building authentic relationships and engaging supporters with the heart of the mission—by connecting them to the parts they’re most passionate about,” Pamela shared.
She later served as Development Director for Veterans Heritage Project (now Imprints of Honor), where she spearheaded Major Giving and co-led the Board Philanthropy, Expansion, and Event Committees, playing a key role in guiding the organization’s strategy and growth. Most recently, she worked as Associate Director, Territory Leadership, Major Gifts for the ALS Association across CA, AZ, NM, NV, and TX, where she directed strategic fundraising initiatives in collaboration with volunteers, board members, and community leaders.
A Southern California native, Pamela has called the Valley home for most of her adult life. As the mother of three grown children—all of whom hold advanced degrees—she understands firsthand the importance of laying a strong foundation through education and is deeply committed to helping other families provide the same opportunity for their children’s futures.
Board of Directors
| Carol Trueg Board Chair |
Glendale, AZ |
| Adrian Ruiz Vice Chairman |
Phoenix, AZ |
| Kelley Tucker Treasurer |
Phoenix, AZ |
| Andrew Lishko Secretary |
Phoenix, AZ |
| Domonic Salce Superintendent of Schools |
Gilbert, AZ |
| Most Rev. Eduardo A. Nevares Auxiliary Bishop of Phoenix |
Phoenix, AZ |
| Todd Bankofier Member |
Scottsdale, AZ |
| Carlos A. Sugich Member |
Phoenix, AZ |
| Bryan Brady Member |
Paradise Valley, AZ |
| Andrea Weeks Hardin Member |
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| Father David Halm Member |
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| Nancy Dougherty Member |
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| Thomas Shellander Member |
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| Tom Brennan Member |