
Written by: Miles Bilka, CNP
July 9, 2025 | 6 min. read
When Arika Wells, CNP, MPA, moved to Tucson, Arizona in 2002, she didn’t expect to stay long. She had just graduated from the University of San Diego, where she earned the nationally recognized Certified Nonprofit Professional (CNP) credential, married her college sweetheart, and left everything behind. Tucson felt unfamiliar and quiet.
It would take years, but Arika would eventually become a central figure in Tucson’s community. Today, she serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona. And it was her CNP credential, earned over twenty years ago, that helped get her there.
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