ABEC To Transfer Assets to Education Forward Arizona to Expand Business–Education Partnership and Strengthen Arizona’s Education-to-Workforce Continuum
PHOENIX, Ariz. —Arizona Business & Education Coalition (ABEC) and Education Forward Arizona announced plans today to complete an asset transfer agreement under which Education Forward Arizona will become the aligned successor to ABEC’s mission and programming, with closing anticipated by the end of June. The agreement is intended to ensure that ABEC’s legacy of purposeful dialogue between education and business leaders continues while expanding the reach and long-term sustainability of ABEC’s career awareness work through Education Forward Arizona’s statewide platform, governance structure, and operational capacity.
For 24 years, ABEC has brought business and education leaders together around shared goals for Arizona’s students and the state’s future. The transition is a deliberate, mission-driven passing of the torch designed to preserve ABEC’s legacy of convening the education and business communities while positioning its work for greater impact.
“ABEC has spent more than two decades proving what is possible when business and education leaders work side by side for students and the state,” said Tracey Lopeman, Maricopa Unified School District Superintendent and ABEC board member. “By passing the torch to Education Forward Arizona, we are ensuring that this legacy continues and that both communities work together to build an education-to-workforce ecosystem that benefits students and employers alike.”
“As a business leader and ABEC board chair, I know our state’s long-term economic health depends on a strong talent pipeline and on business and education working together to build it,” said Vispi Karanjia, chair of the ABEC board. “Our board chose Education Forward Arizona as the right partner to carry ABEC’s mission forward because they share our values, have the capacity to scale this work, and deeply respect the relationships ABEC has built with school districts and employers across Arizona.”
The transfer will support continued focus on continuing to build a seamless education and workforce continuum, including the connection between student success, career awareness, employer needs, and statewide talent development. Education Forward Arizona leaders are well-positioned to bridge the education and business communities and to elevate that work through systems-level advocacy and engagement with both education leaders and the business community.
“Building a strong bridge between Arizona’s education and business communities is central to Education Forward Arizona’s strategic direction,” said Ron Butler, chair of the organization’s board of directors. “Business and education leaders must work together to improve outcomes for students and ensure that every learner in our state is aware of, and prepared for the high‑wage, high‑skill jobs that drive Arizona’s economy. This agreement is a natural extension of both ABEC’s and Education Forward Arizona’s missions to advance that shared goal.”
Education Forward Arizona intends to build on ABEC’s longstanding relationships with school district leaders and business partners by creating new opportunities for engagement and advisory input as the work moves forward. The transition is not to be framed as a merger, but rather as an intentional transfer designed to continue and amplify ABEC’s mission through a closely aligned partner. Tracey Benson, ABEC President & CEO, will serve as an advisor to Education Forward Arizona throughout the transition.
Additional information about stakeholder engagement and future opportunities for member involvement will be shared in the coming weeks.
Media Contact
Shannon Sowby
602-615-6235
About Arizona Business Education Coalition
The Arizona Business & Education Coalition is a statewide nonprofit organization comprised of corporations both large and small, philanthropic and community organizations, state government agencies, individual community leaders, and K-12 and post-secondary institutions. Our K-12 members collectively represent nearly half of all Arizona’s public school students.
About Education Forward Arizona
Education Forward Arizona is a statewide education advocacy organization dedicated to championing education as the key driver to improving Arizona’s economy and quality of life. Education Forward Arizona serves as the leading voice for promoting the state’s Achieve60AZ education attainment goal and a shared action plan to move the goals of the Arizona Education Progress Meter forward. The organization’s work also includes mobilizing people and communities to advocate for policies and funding to improve educational outcomes across the Pre-K to postsecondary continuum, as well as providing scholarships and programs that improve postsecondary attainment for Arizona’s diverse student population. Learn more at EducationForwardArizona.org.