Board of Directors: Executive Team
Board of Directors
Elizabeth Paulus
Executive Director
Elizabeth co-founded College Bound with her husband, Gerald Paulus, and serves as the Executive Director.
She is a 31-year US Army veteran, a retired Lieutenant Colonel who started in the Women’s Army Corps, and airborne qualified.
She left active duty to move to Phoenix, where she has lived for 40 years. She graduated from Arizona State University with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and went on to become an environmental specialist at the City of Phoenix. She returned to college at Upper Iowa University for her master’s degree in Education in 2017.
She designed and trademarked RISE Scholars, a college access program being implemented at the East Valley Institute of Technology since 2018.
Liz has documented and submitted multiple veterans’ stories to the Library of Congress, is on the EVIT Foundation Board, in the Mesa Sister Cities, Mesa Rotary, and is part of the Mesa West Rotary McKinney-Vento Project.
For her volunteer work through College Bound AZ that has resulted in lifting families out of poverty, in 2023 Liz was awarded the Calvin C. Goode – MLK Lifetime Achievement Award at the AZ MLK Awards Celebration.
Lisa Rivera
Director of Development
Lisa Rivera is a seasoned community builder and passionate advocate for outreach and equity initiatives. With a diverse background in business administration, Lisa brings extensive experience in strategic planning, program implementation, operations, grant writing, and organizational development.
Throughout her career, Lisa has built a strong reputation as a trustworthy and dedicated leader, fostering meaningful relationships, securing vital funding, and driving sustainable growth in the nonprofit sector. Her work is guided by a deep commitment to serving others and strengthening her community.
Based in Phoenix, Arizona, Lisa enjoys life with her husband of over 20 years. She is the proud mother of three wonderful children, a loving grandmother, and a devoted pet parent to three cherished fur babies. She also enjoys the K-Pop group, Stray Kids.