Staff

Office of the Executive Director

Christopher J. Nellum, Ph.D.
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Christopher J. Nellum, Ph.D.

Executive Director

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

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Carol Hedgspeth, Ph.D.
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Carol Hedgspeth, Ph.D.

Deputy Director

Carol Hedgspeth, Ph.D. (she/her/hers), started her career in the late 1990s in academia, teaching various core college courses in…

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Rachel Ruffalo

Rachel Ruffalo

Senior Director of Strategic Advocacy

Rachel Ruffalo (she/her) serves as the Senior Director of Strategic Advocacy at the Education Trust—West. Rachel’s career in education…

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Sarah Pugeda

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…

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Partnerships & Engagement

Lange Luntao
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Lange Luntao

Director of External Relations

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

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Mayra A. Lara, Ed.D.

Mayra A. Lara, Ed.D.

Director of Southern California Partnerships & Engagement

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

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Esmeralda Marcial

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…

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Megan Kane

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,…

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Communications

Daisy Ruiz-Purcell

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…

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Mariel Matze

Mariel Matze

Associate Director, Communications

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

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Karla Fernandez

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…

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Esha Pillay

Esha Pillay

Communications Specialist

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

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Government Relations

Brian Rivas
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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.…

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Melissa Bardo

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…

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Raquel Morales

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…

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Research & Policy Analysis

Melissa Valenzuela-Stookey

Melissa Valenzuela-Stookey

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…

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Christa Koppuzha

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…

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Vanessa Romo

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…

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Isaac Alferos

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…

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Natalie Wheatfall-Lum, J.D.
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Natalie Wheatfall-Lum, J.D.

Director of P-16 Education Policy

Since Natalie Wheatfall-Lum, J.D. (she/her/hers), joined The Education Trust—West in 2014, she has supported the organization’s policy research, analysis,…

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Roy Tongilava

Roy Tongilava

Policy Analyst, TK-12

Roy (he/him) joins The Education Trust—West as a Policy Analyst (TK-12) with considerable experience in research and policy analysis,…

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Pamela Low

Pamela Low

Policy Analyst, TK-12

Pamela M. Low (she/her) is a K-12 Policy Analyst at the Education Trust—West (ETW), where she works to improve…

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Benito Aranda-Comer

Benito Aranda-Comer

Policy Analyst, TK-12

Benito Aranda-Comer (he/him) joins The Education Trust–West as a K-12 Policy Analyst. Before joining the Education Trust–West, Benito was…

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Denise Luna

Denise Luna

Associate Director of Higher Education Policy

Denise Luna (she/her/hers) is the Associate Director of Higher Education Policy at The Education Trust—West. As a daughter of…

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Michael-Sesen Perrilliat

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.…

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Maya Valree

Maya Valree

Policy Analyst (Parenting Students)

Maya Valree (she/her(s)) joins The Education Trust–West as a Policy Analyst (Parenting Students). Before joining The Education Trust–West, Maya…

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Educator Engagement

Crystal A. Moore, Ph.D.

Crystal A. Moore, Ph.D.

Director of Educator Engagement

Crystal A. Moore, Ph.D. (she/her/hers), is the Director of Educator Engagement at The Education Trust–West. In this role, she…

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Brieana Johnson

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…

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Camille Medrano

Camille Medrano

Senior Associate, Educator Engagement

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

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Planning, Grants & Administration

Natalie Johal

Natalie Johal

Associate Director, People & Operations

Natalie (she/they) serves as Associate Director of People & Operations at The Education Trust–West (ETW) where they manage the…

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Janel Lloyd

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,…

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Erika Oseguera
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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…

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Angelica Ramirez

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…

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Ed Trust—West Staff Contact

The Education Trust—West

580 2nd Street, Suite 200

Oakland, CA 94607

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.