Office of the Executive Director

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Manny Rodriguez
Senior Legislative Associate
As a first generation son of immigrants, Manny (he/him/his) strongly believes in equity and has a passion for supporting…
Research & Policy Analysis

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…

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

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

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

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

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

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…

Leni Wolf
Associate Director of P-16 Research
Since joining The Education Trust–West in 2013, Leni (she/her/hers) has led and contributed to research and policy analysis in…
Educator Engagement

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

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

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,…
Planning, Grants & Administration

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

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

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 Margaret Canto at x300.
For information on job opportunities or internships, visit our career opportunities page.
For media inquiries, contact Jason Mandell at (213) 500-9142.
For information about research and policy analysis, including data inquiries contact Leni Wolf at x310.
For government affairs, contact Brian Rivas at (916) 761-9060.
For information about our practice work with schools and districts contact the Practice Team at x338 or x328