Longtime Catholic education leader and volunteer Kevin Short has been elected president of the tuition-assistance nonprofit The Today and Tomorrow Educational Foundation.

The foundation gives scholarships to parish school students from poor families throughout the region. Since its start 19 years ago, it has raised more than $25 million to help them go to private or parochial schools in the city of St. Louis, according to a statement from the St. Louis Archdiocese.

Short has served as a member of the archdiocese board of education, the St. Roch School Board, and the Today and Tomorrow Educational Foundation Board.

“I strongly believe the children of St. Louis city, especially those from low-income families, deserve an opportunity for the best quality education regardless of the cost,” Short said in a statement. “I look forward to continuing the 19-year tradition of the Today and Tomorrow Educational Foundation by helping families grow and change through education for generations to come.”