10/05/2026
A 1989 AHS alumna is taking over! Go Maples!!
Welcome to the new ASEF Executive Director, Heather Perez!
Heather Perez has been named the new executive director of the Adrian Schools Educational Foundation. Perez is the fourth executive director in the Foundation’s 40-year history.
Perez comes to the Foundation having served in executive capacities at several community non-profit organizations, most recently as the Director of Development at Hospice of Lenawee where she led comprehensive development strategies including a $1 million campaign for the Hospice of Lenawee “Jim Feeney” Hospice Home. She was also responsible for strengthening committee engagement, strategic planning initiatives, and an annual event that grew in capacity year over year.
Perez’s responsibilities with ASEF will include initiating a strategic planning process, building out the Foundation’s board of trustees and shepherding a 40th anniversary celebration for the organization. Perez will also oversee the Foundation’s main mission of awarding classroom grants and raising funds to continue its success.
A 1989 graduate of Adrian High School, Perez looks forward to working with the philanthropic community, including AHS alumni who identify with the ASEF mission of strengthening the educational excellence of their alma mater. Perez holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Management from Spring Arbor University and is committed to servant leadership, fostering long-term, collaborative relationships, and working alongside others to strengthen and serve the community she is proud to call home.
“I am very excited to work with the local community and our alumni to build the capacity of education at Adrian Public Schools,” Perez said. “The ASEF is committed to enhancing classroom rigor while supporting student growth in academics and the arts, providing students with meaningful experiences that will enrich their education and, hopefully, stay with them for a lifetime.”
Not a stranger to supporting education, Perez was the Executive Director at Community Learning Connections and the Resource Development Manager for Communities in Schools – Lenawee. With these two entities, she managed fundraising efforts and operations which supported at-risk students and focused on graduation outcomes.
Perez replaces ASEF retiring Executive Director Jenny Engle who oversaw the award of close to $800,000 in classroom grants given to APS teachers over the past eight years.
The Adrian Schools Educational Foundation was founded in 1987 as a non-profit with its only mission to benefit Adrian Public Schools students. It fulfills this by awarding classroom grants to teachers, enhancing APS curriculum and giving students opportunities in the arts and academics. Over its 40-year history, the ASEF has awarded close $2 million in classroom grants and special projects such as the AHS courtyard renovation and partnering in constructing STEM labs in all APS elementary school buildings.
