Marilee Dal Pra

Marilee Dal Pra is Chief Executive Officer for First Things First, Arizona’s early childhood agency that supports the health, development, and education of children birth to age 5. She is responsible for guiding the organization’s strategic direction as well as overseeing daily operations for 150 professional staff and more than 300 volunteers across the state. First Things First has annual expenditures of roughly $150 million.

Prior to joining FTF, Marilee was Vice President for Programs at Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, where she led the foundation’s community initiatives and strategic program development. She was a driving force behind a number of statewide collaborative efforts such as Read On Arizona, the state’s third grade reading initiative and AZECA, a statewide alliance of early childhood partners who share a unified advocacy agenda.

Dal Pra previously served as the director for the Governor’s Division for Children, where she coordinated policies and programs to improve conditions for Arizona’s children and families in partnership with professional organizations, business groups and policymakers. Her prior work experience also includes oversight of juvenile justice programs for the Governor’s Office and work to improve outcomes for women on probation.

During her career, Dal Pra has served on a variety of national and local nonprofit boards and as a gubernatorial and judicial appointee on several commissions and committees. She holds a Master’s Degree in Education from Northern Arizona University aand a bachelor’s degree in political science from Arizona State University. Marilee lives in Phoenix with Zachary, her husband of 34 years. She has two grown children and one granddaughter.