June 21, 2021 – Paula K. Parrish, a fundraising professional with wide-ranging experience, will soon join the Jesuits USA Central and Southern Province as chief advancement officer. Based in Fort Worth, Texas, Parrish has most recently worked as a consultant, assisting such nonprofits as Rotary Downtown Fort Worth, Leadership Fort Worth, Cristo Rey Fort Worth Catholic High School, Fort Worth Opera, Loreto House Pregnancy Center and Children At Risk-North Texas. She previously served as the executive director of the Advancement Foundation of the Diocese of Fort Worth.
“I loved my years working at the Diocese of Fort Worth,” Parrish said, noting that she left the position two years ago to take time off to write a book. “Ultimately, what I really found, is that I miss meetings that do not begin and end with a prayer, and I have too much energy to sit in front of my computer day after day writing a book. I yearn to return to serving the Church.”
Parrish has more than 25 years in fundraising, education, marketing and communication. She is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) and has created alumni, community/media relations, volunteer, membership and board development programs in several nonprofit organizations. She has also created and directed strategic fundraising programs for institutions serving multiple Catholic institutions, the arts, education, healthcare and higher education.
Parrish is a lifetime member of Leadership Fort Worth (LFW), where she also served on the executive committee of the board. She chaired the Texas Commission on the Arts Grants Panel for Large Organizations for two years and is an active member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), having served as president of the Greater Fort Worth 10-Star Chapter. She has also served on the executive boards of AFP Atlanta and AFP San Antonio.
Parrish will begin her service to the province on July 1.