Office of the Executive Director


Dr. Christopher Nellum
Executive Director
Dr. Christopher Nellum (he/him/his) is the Executive Director of The Education Trust–West, a nonprofit education equity organization focused on…


Dr. Carol Hedgspeth
Deputy Director
Carol (she/her/hers) started her career in the late 1990s in academia, teaching various core college courses in departments of…


Sarah Pugeda
Senior Executive Assistant
Sarah Pugeda (she/her/hers) joins The Education Trust–West as an Executive Assistant to the Executive Director. She has many years…
Partnerships & Engagement


Lange Luntao
Director of External Relations
At Education Trust–West, Lange Luntao (he/him/his) works closely with his colleagues to drive high-impact campaigns that achieve meaningful policy…


Megan Kane
External Relations Associate
Megan Kane (she/her/hers) joins The Education Trust–West as the External Relations Associate with a background in educational equity, research,…


Dr. Mayra A. Lara
Director of Southern California Partnerships & Engagement
At a young age, Dr. Mayra A. Lara (she/her/ella) immigrated to the United States from Mexico with her parents…


Esmeralda Marcial
Manager of External Relations
Esmeralda Marcial (she/her/hers) joins The Education Trust–West as the Manager of External Relations with a background in organizing, electoral…
Communications


Daisy Ruiz-Purcell
Director of Communications
Daisy Ruiz-Purcell (she/her/hers) joins The Education Trust–West as a fierce advocate for education equity. As a first-generation college graduate…


Mariel Matze
Communications Manager - Public Relations Specialist
Mariel (she/her/hers) joins The Education Trust–West with a background in K-12 education and expertise in writing, storytelling, press relations,…


Esha Pillay
Communications Associate
Esha (she/her/hers) joins The Education Trust–West with a background in student affairs, writing, and digital media communications. She oversees…


Karla Fernandez
Communications Manager
Karla Fernandez (she/her/hers) joins Ed Trust–West as a Communications Manager with over 11 years of experience advancing social impact…
Government Relations


Raquel Morales
Policy and Government Relations Associate
Raquel Morales (she/her/hers) joins The Education Trust–West as the Policy and Government Relations Associate. As a first-generation student who…


Brian Rivas
Senior Director of Policy and Government Relations
Brian Rivas (he/him/his) has been working to improve educational opportunities for disadvantaged students in California for nearly twenty years.…


Melissa Bardo
Associate Director of Policy and Government Relations
Melissa Bardo (she/her/hers) serves as the Associate Director of Policy and Government Relations for the Education Trust–West. Overseeing the…
Research & Policy Analysis


Christa Koppuzha
Research and Data Analyst
Christa Koppuzha (she/her/hers) was raised by Indian immigrants who instilled the value and power of education in her from…


Vanessa Romo
Research and Data Analyst
Vanessa Romo (she/her/hers) is a Research and Data Analyst at The Education Trust–West. She joins The Education Trust–West with…


Isaac Alferos
Research and Data Analyst
As a Research and Data Analyst, Isaac Alferos (He/They) joins the Education Trust—West team with his experience as an…


Melissa Figueira
Director of P-16 Research
Melissa (she/her/hers) joins The Education Trust–West with a background in education research and policy advocacy across the birth through…


Michael-Sesen Perrilliat
Higher Education Policy Analyst
Sesen (he/him) joins the team as a Higher Education Policy Analyst. Sesen is, first and foremost, a student advocate.…


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


Natalie Wheatfall-Lum
Director of P-16 Education Policy
Since Natalie (she/her/hers) joined The Education Trust—West in 2014, she has supported the organization’s policy research, analysis, and position…
Educator Engagement


Jana Luft
Interim Associate Director of Educator Engagement
Jana Luft (she/her/hers) is The Education Trust–West's Interim Associate Director of Educator Engagement. She brings experience as a teacher,…


Camille Medrano
Educator Engagement Associate
Camille Medrano (she/her/hers) joins The Education Trust–West as an Educator Engagement Associate. From her experiences navigating the education system…


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


Brieana Johnson
Senior Associate, Educator Engagement
Brieana Johnson (she/her) joins The Education Trust—West as a Senior Associate of Educator Engagement. A fierce advocate for educational…
Planning, Grants & Administration


Janel Lloyd
Operations Associate
Janel Lloyd (she/her/hers) joins The Education Trust–West as the Operations Associate, with a background in operations, finance, client services,…


Natalie Johal
People and Operations Manager
Natalie (she/her/hers) serves as People and Operations Manager at The Education Trust–West. Before her current role, Natalie was Manager…


Cristina Yim
Development Associate
Cristina Yim (she/her) joins The Education Trust–West as a Development Associate with many years of experience in development for…


Angelica Ramirez
Senior Development Associate
Angelica Ramirez (she/her/hers) joins The Education Trust–West as the Senior Development Associate. She comes to The Education Trust–West with…


Erika Oseguera
Director of Planning, Grants, and Administration
Erika (she/her/hers) comes to Ed Trust–West with over 12 years of operational support experience in the private and non-profit…
Ed Trust—West Staff Contact
The Education Trust—West
Tel: 510.465.6444
Fax: 510.465.0859
For general inquiries about The Education Trust—West, please contact us at (510) 465-6444.
For information on job opportunities or internships, visit our career opportunities page.
For media inquiries, contact Mariel Matze at (650) 380-1973.
For information about research and policy analysis, including data inquiries, contact Melissa Figueira.
For government affairs, contact Brian Rivas at (916) 761-9060.
For information about our work with schools and districts, contact the Educator Engagement team at (510) 879-6210.