Elisha Smith Arrillaga

Dr. Elisha Smith Arrillaga (she/her/hers) joined the Dana Center as its new managing director on May 4. She previously served as the executive director of The Education Trust-West, the California branch of a national research and advocacy nonprofit organization committed to educational justice for students of color, students from low-income communities, and English learners. As a lifelong math lover, Elisha is fiercely committed to increasing opportunities in STEM for students of color. A researcher by training and advocate by blood, she has taught subjects ranging from statistics to writing and research methods at the K–12 and postsecondary levels.