Lisa Prescott-Williams: Director of Finance at CDH and Donor Herself

Greta Cunningham
October 23, 2023

Since 2011, Lisa Prescott-Williams has served the Cretin-Derham Hall community as director of finance, working to facilitate payroll, employee benefits, tuition, financial aid, accounts payable, and financial reporting. Having seen the impact of CDH education both professionally and as a parent to three CDH graduates, she has also generously chosen to support the school as a donor. 

“It’s amazing to see how much our faculty puts into teaching our students; we offer such a wide variety of classes for them. I have three kids, and all of them have different learning styles, abilities, and strengths, and CDH was able to meet all of them,” she said. “The community that they had here was unbelievable. I was so happy they were able to experience that and got to be third generation Cretin/CDH students– it just felt like it was in their blood.”

Her children, Connor Williams ’14, Callie Williams ’17, and Keeley Williams ’22, were preceded by their father, Tim Williams ’87, and grandfather, Donald Williams ’56. Each year, Prescott-Williams watches the next generation of CDH students benefit from their time here just like her own family did. 

“Every donation that we receive benefits all CDH students in some way. Not only do they help fund our tuition assistance program, but they also allow us to keep our fees as low as possible for all our programs, including athletics, activities and fine arts. I believe it is important for all students to have access to a wide variety of programs and activities, and keeping our fees as low as possible helps achieve that,” she said.

Prescott-Williams got her accounting degree from the University of Minnesota-Duluth and came to CDH at the recommendation of a friend already working at the school after eight years as an auditor for Deloitte Touche and 12 as the manager of financial reporting at North Memorial. Today, an essential part of Prescott-Williams’ job is working with families to allocate tuition assistance. 

“Each financial aid application submitted to us includes a lot of financial information that often does not tell the whole story of a family’s circumstances. I encourage families to include a letter outlining their special circumstances, so we can get a better understanding of how to better meet their financial needs.  I understand the sacrifices families make to provide a Catholic education to their children and how stressful it is when they experience changes with their household finances,” she said. “One of the most rewarding parts of my job is making the finances of a CDH education work for families, when on paper, it might have looked impossible. It’s so special to see families be able to enroll their students and watch them love it here and be successful. It can really be life changing.”

Prescott-Williams sees how many students can attend CDH because of donor support first hand. Even before tuition assistance is applied, donor contributions save each CDH family $3,420 a year, covering the difference between the cost to educate and the tuition charged. Last year, CDH then gave out an additional $3.1 million in financial aid, supporting 42% of enrolled families with an average award of $6,700.

“CDH donors are truly some of the most generous and giving people. This year, 40% of our annual financial aid budget comes from our endowments that donors have set up and continue to contribute to. That makes it possible for so many students to come here, and the annual giving that families do every year outside of the endowment makes up the difference. It has a huge impact,” she said. 

While her job is built on data and numbers, it’s her interpersonal strengths that really touch the community. In 2022, Prescott-Williams was awarded the Brother Leonard Kromhout Memorial Award, which recognizes a staff member who best exemplifies the values of CDH each year. 

“Money is one of the hardest things for people to talk about because it is so personal. I do my best to make each family comfortable, so they can come to us when they encounter changes that will impact their ability to pay tuition. We are dedicated to finding financial solutions for our families, which may include a special payment arrangement, some additional assistance, or sharing outside resources they could tap into” she said.

Those conversations with families have given Prescott-Williams a front row seat to many students’ journeys through CDH and its impact on their families. 

“Attending CDH can be really transformative for a student. Whether it's the structure, the community, or the education track, just to be able to provide everybody with the opportunity to attend here is amazing,” she said.