Liz S. Koop

About Liz S. Koop

Liz Koop is President, CEO, and board member of a top-five education-focused foundation in Nebraska, EducationQuest Foundation. With assets of $200 million, she has served the board and organization for over twenty-two years, executing the mission to improve access to higher education in Nebraska. Liz is a vision-driven, big-picture thinker, starting in a technology company, and accumulating over thirty-five years in higher education finance and technology. Today, digital transformation permeates the organization, including dispelling the myths of college planning among Gen Z students and providing the tools and information needed to access college.Liz is responsible for managing talent, operations, and finances of the foundation, including annual audits, regulatory compliance, and budgets. She has forged strategic partnerships with every college in Nebraska to expand access for low-income and underrepresented students. One of the largest need-based college scholarship providers in Nebraska, she is responsible for mitigating risk for a $2.5MM annual scholarship program. Over $28MM has been distributed to over students since its inception in currently serves on the boards of the Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation, the Lincoln Children’s Zoo, President’s Board of Advisors for Nebraska Wesleyan University, and she is a trustee of the University of Nebraska Foundation. Recently, Liz joined the Finance Committee of the $400MM Iowa West Foundation. Under the leadership of Nebraska Governor Dave Heinemann, and subsequently Governor Pete Ricketts, Liz served as co-chair of the Nebraska P-16 committee, bringing together the states\' education leadership to guide policy and program creation.With a background in finance, Liz chairs EducationQuest’s Finance and Investment Committee providing oversight of an investment portfolio with a very diverse asset allocation to fund annual operations. She is a member of the Audit Committee and also serves on the Retirement Plan Committee for a group of affiliated organizations, of which EducationQuest is a member, with over $90MM in assets. Liz has vast experience with budgets, strategic planning, employee benefits, and deploying assets for investment. She has a passion for all levels of education and the educational success of young people. Liz has a degree in finance and recently completed the Women’s Director Development Program at Northwestern Kellogg School of Management.Liz, and her husband Ken, are avid sports fans and reside in Lincoln, NE, and Chicago, IL.

Experience

1. President & CEO

   Educationquest Foundation

   Oct 2000 — Present · US

   Mission: To improve access to higher education in Nebraska.We believe all students of any age need to earn a credential (certificate, associate or bachelor degree) after high school. All of our services are free!

Education

• Nebraska Wesleyan University

  BS, Major: Finance & Marketing Minor: Psychology

  1982 — 1986