Economics Arkansas Foundation hires Elizabeth Sullivan as first director

Economics Arkansas Foundation announces the hiring of Elizabeth Sullivan as the organization’s first director, effective Aug. 1. Sullivan will be responsible for securing major gifts, assisting with fundraising events and campaigns, cultivating existing and new donors, identifying and obtaining new funding streams, and leading advocacy and fundraising committees.

Sullivan has almost 14 years of development experience with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Arkansas Children’s Foundation and the Razorback Foundation.

A native of California, she earned a bachelor’s degree from Oregon State University and a master’s degree from the University of Arkansas in elementary education.

The Foundation was launched in 2016 with a $2 million lead gift from the Walton Family Foundation to ensure the long-term viability and sustainability of Economics Arkansas, a 57-year-old educational non-profit organization dedicated to raising the economic and personal finance literacy among Arkansas PreK-12 students.

“Elizabeth comes to the Foundation with excellent credentials and—even more importantly—absolute enthusiasm for the importance of economic and personal finance education in schools,” said Ray Hobbs, president of the Foundation Board of Directors. “Under her leadership, the Foundation’s endowment is expected to generate the funds necessary to bring economic and personal finance training and resources each year to all Arkansas teachers and students.”