Staff

Dr. Elisha Smith Arrillaga (she/her/hers) is the Executive Director of The Education Trust-West, the California branch of a national…

Allyson Osorio is the daughter of immigrant parents from Central America who fled their respective countries due to political…

At Education Trust–West, Andy Wong (he/him/his) works closely with his colleagues to drive high-impact campaigns to achieve meaningful policy…

Clara E. Medina Maya (they/them/theirs) is an unapologetically queer and undocumented education justice advocate. They join the Education Trust-West…

Isabella Gordillo (she/her/hers) joins the Education Trust-West team as Communications Associate. Prior to this role, she has worked in…

Mariah (she/her/hers) joins the Education Trust–West with a range of experience in communications for social change and community engagement.…

Stephanie Ong (she/her/hers) is a communications professional with over twenty years of experience leading strategy for nonprofit organizations, electoral…

Brian (he/him/his) has been working to improve educational opportunity for disadvantaged students in California for nearly twenty years. His…

As a first generation son of immigrants, Manny (he/him/his) strongly believes in equity and has a passion for supporting…

Denise Castro (she/her/hers) is a Policy Analyst at The Education Trust—West. Denise joins The Education Trust—West with experience in…

Hana (she/her/hers) joins ETW with experience in education policy, philanthropy, youth development, social work, and law. Prior to joining…

Before joining the Ed Trust–West team, José (he/him/his) taught statistics as a Summer Bridge instructor while simultaneously working on…

Yvonne Muñoz (she/her/hers) is a Higher Education Policy Analyst at the Education Trust–West. She contributes to research and analysis…

Dr. Christopher Nellum (he/him/his) is the Deputy Director of Research and Policy at The Education Trust—West, a civil rights…

Carolina supports The Education Trust—West’s qualitative research. Her work focuses on the undergraduate experiences of marginalized students and is…

Abby Ridley-Kerr (she/her/hers) joins The Education Trust–West to support the Research and Policy Analysis team. She comes to Ed…

Since Natalie (she/her/hers) joined The Education Trust—West in 2014, she has supported the organization’s policy research, analysis, and position…

Since joining The Education Trust–West in 2013, Leni (she/her/hers) has led and contributed to research and policy analysis in…

At a young age, Dr. Mayra A. Lara (she/her/ella) immigrated to the United States from Mexico with her parents…

Jana Luft (she/her/hers) joins the Education Trust–West as a Senior Educator Engagement Associate. She brings experience as a teacher,…

Rachel Ruffalo’s (she/her/hers) career in education spans more than twenty years of serving as a teacher, new school developer,…

Margaret (she/her/hers) has an extensive background in administrative operations and executive support and has worked in both the public…

Brittney Jackson (she/her/hers) was born and raised in Oakland, CA. She attended Oakland public schools K-12 and graduated from…

Erika (she/her/hers) comes to Ed Trust–West with over 12 years of operational support experience in the private and non-profit…