Paul J. Luna

Paul J. Luna is a nationally recognized leader in education, community impact and the power of partnership. As Ppresident and CEO of Helios Education Foundation since 2006, Mr. Luna has been instrumental in steering the Foundation's mission toward fostering opportunities for all students to succeed in postsecondary education, with a focus on low-income and historically underrepresented communities in Arizona and Florida.  

Mr. Luna brings more than 30 years of public and private experience, with his tenure at Helios marked by a profound commitment to enhancing educational outcomes, investing more than $350 million over the last 20 years in strategic partnerships,  and initiatives meant to improve access to high-quality education for all students.  

Mr. Luna’s personal story reflects the transformative power of education. He was raised in the Arizona mining town of Miami where his father worked in the copper mines. His parents saw education as a pathway to advancement and instilled in their son the importance of going to college. With his parents’ encouragement, Mr. Luna became a first-generation college student earning a civil engineering degree from Stanford University. More recently, Mr. Luna was awarded an honorary doctorate from Northern Arizona University for his contributions to and achievements in education.  

In addition to his role at Helios, Mr. Luna serves the greater community in a number of ways, including as a member of Greater Phoenix Leadership, Greater Phoenix Economic Council Board of Directors, the Florida College Access Network’s Board of Advisors, the Center for the Future of Arizona Board of Directors, the America's Promise Alliance Board of Directors, the Partnership for Economic Innovation Board of Directors, and the Florida Consortium of Metropolitan Research Universities President’s Council.