Marjorie DeRubeis has joined our Be A Leader Foundation team as Sr. Director of Programs. While Marjorie may be a new addition, she is not new to the BALF family, having worked as a close colleague prior to her joining our team for over a decade.

Marjorie, a New York City native, moved to Arizona in 2000. She lives in Phoenix with her husband Bob, son Ethan (16) and daughter Isabella (14). The Fordham University graduate quickly learned of her passion for higher education. Marjorie worked at Fordham University and then Fordham Law upon graduating from Fordham with a double major in Marketing and Management from the College of Business Administration, before her move to the Grand Canyon State. Since moving to Arizona, she has helped establish and implement state grant programs while working for the Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education. She has worked at Arizona State University both in Financial Aid and then again working to help student transition from Community College in Arizona and throughout the country, to ASU. Marjorie worked closely with Community College leadership to inform them and their students of the pathway tools and other transfer resources available to students.

Marjorie worked for College Success Arizona (now Education Forward Arizona), overseeing their scholarship and mentoring program. During her time at College Success Arizona she worked on many state initiatives to bring access and success to marginalized Arizona students in pursuit of a higher education. Under her direction the program grew and success and retention rates were set well above those of Arizona’s state averages in both retention and achievement rates. Marjorie was instrumental in working with donors as well as collaborating with many of Arizona’s college access groups to increase college attainment for students.

Marjorie is excited to join the BALF family after many years of working alongside them. She is excited to continue to improve lives of students that are impacted by the foundation and its many collaborating partners.