Fellows 2025-26

Kayleigh Anderson-Natale, Ph.D. is the director of postdoctoral and professional development at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). She earned her doctorate in higher education administration and policy from the University of California, Riverside (UCR), where she researched gender gaps in the way students are funded in STEM doctoral programs. At UCR, she also served as the first Graduate Student Diversity and Inclusion Academic Liaison, leading campus-wide sexual violence and harassment prevention trainings and developing inclusion-focused programming.

At UCI, Dr. Anderson-Natale oversees the Graduate and Postdoctoral Scholar Resource Center (GPSRC), where she provides career development and external funding support for graduate students and postdocs. She also leads the California Community College Internship Program (CCCIP), which connects UC graduate students with community college mentors to strengthen the future faculty pipeline and expand career pathways. Earlier in her career, she worked in social services supporting survivors of sexual and domestic violence after earning a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Idaho. Outside of work, she enjoys running, bowling, and playing the ukulele. 

Charo Darwin, who holds a master’s degree in science and a master’s degree in education, is a seasoned K–12 administrator, organizational strategist, and education researcher with over two decades of experience leading complex school systems in California. She has served in multiple high-impact roles, including principal, assistant principal, special education administrator, and college faculty, consistently advancing systems that improve instructional quality, school safety, and operational efficiency across urban school contexts. 

Charo’s leadership portfolio includes successful oversight of multi-million dollar federal and state-funded initiatives, including her co-leadership of a $729,545 federally funded school safety grant in collaboration with CSU Long Beach. She has designed and implemented strategic frameworks for district-wide interventions, multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS), and instructional alignment. Her leadership has extended across a wide range of settings, from elementary campuses to central office departments, where she has supervised classified, certificated, and interdisciplinary teams. 

Charo is currently completing a doctorate in education at Claremont Graduate University. Her research explores how school leaders navigate crisis and complexity with emotional intelligence, systems thinking, and critical consciousness. She is the founder of Darwin Equitable Solutions, a consulting practice that helps schools and organizations build scalable systems that align mission, operations, and people development. 

With a strong record of program implementation, policy collaboration, and instructional leadership, Charo brings a unique combination of executive experience and research-driven insight to her work with educational institutions across California. 

Maria Gadsden, Ph.D., is a second-grade SANKOFA teacher in the San Bernardino City Unified School District, where she works with a team of educators to uplift Black students through culture, history, and rigorous academics. A passionate advocate for equity and literacy, she also teaches undergraduate and graduate courses at California State University, San Bernardino, preparing future educators to meet the needs of diverse learners with skill and compassion. Maria earned her doctorate from Claremont Graduate University, holds master’s degrees in education and administrative leadership, and is currently pursuing a third in reading and literacy. Beyond her classroom, she has secured funding for innovative STEAM, renewable energy, and literacy projects that expand her students’ scope of knowledge. As a California Education Policy Fellow, Maria is passionate about transforming education from the classroom to the policy arena. She believes that when students see their identities represented in their learning and are granted equitable opportunities, they can surpass all expectations and reach their full potential.  

Adam Gottlieb is a policy and systems change practitioner, specializing in postsecondary education. Adam serves as the Director of Postsecondary Strategy & Policy for UNITE-LA, a social impact nonprofit in Los Angeles. In his role, Adam leads the Los Angeles Region K-16 Collaborative, an initiative which brings together seven public universities, 12 community colleges, 10 K-12 school districts, employers, and local government to develop and manage pathways into economically mobilizing careers in computer science, engineering, and healthcare. Adam also oversees policy development for the organization and has successfully partnered with the state legislature and other advocates to pass numerous legislative and budgetary initiatives. He was appointed to the California Cradle-to-Career Data System Advisory Board in 2023 to provide leadership in the state’s primary data management system. Having earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Redlands (UR) and a master’s degree in public policy at Vanderbilt University, Adam is active in alumni affairs and university leadership. He recently served a term as a member of the University of Redlands Board of Trustees, sits on the executive leadership committee of the UR Alumni Board of Directors, and is a member of the University Anti-Racism Committee. 

Anna “AJ” Johnson is a public health and education policy leader with extensive experience in advancing equity-driven reforms at the intersection of health, higher education, and workforce development. AJ currently serves as Policy Director at California Competes: Higher Education for a Strong economy, where they lead initiatives focused on statewide coordination, student parent success, and holistic college affordability. Throughout their career, AJ has partnered with community-based organizations, policymakers, and educational institutions to remove barriers to opportunity and drive systems change for marginalized communities. Their background includes advocacy, coalition building, data-informed policy design, and expanding access and success for students and families across California. 

Jeanny Marroquín is a Los Angeles native of Guatemalan heritage, dedicated to advancing equity for youth and families. With over a decade of experience in education and youth development, she has supported students as an academic and SEL interventionist and led program implementation across LAUSD schools and community-based organizations. 

Jeanny is the director of policy and advocacy at ExpandLA, where she leads and collaborates with countywide coalitions to advocate for equitable access to quality expanded learning opportunities across Los Angeles County. Her efforts aim to foster systems and narrative change, shape policy and legislative development, and increase both funding and visibility for the expanded learning field. Her work centers community voice, systems change, and sustainable impact. 

A first-generation college graduate, Jeanny holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a bachelor’s degree in Spanish cultural studies from UC Riverside, and a master’s degree in education with a focus on K–12 equity from Claremont Graduate University. 

María Morales is a proud Latina from Orange, California, and the daughter of immigrants. As Statewide Policy Director at Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE), she leads advocacy and policy initiatives to advance economic and political parity for Latinas and underserved communities. Her commitment to this mission is deeply rooted in her upbringing as the daughter of a single mother and in witnessing the resilience of the immigrant women who shaped her community.  

At HOPE, María drives policy efforts across education, healthcare, economic empowerment, and civic engagement, ensuring that the unique experiences of Latinas are centered in policymaking. She also facilitates civic engagement trainings for more than 200 leaders annually across HOPE’s leadership programs. Education is central to HOPE’s advocacy and to María’s own journey. As a first-generation college graduate, she experienced firsthand the transformative power of higher education and is proud to advance policies that expand opportunity for Latinas and underserved students.  

Previously, María served in the California State Legislature, working as a legislative aide to Assemblymember Phil Ting during his tenure as Assembly Budget Chair and as an Unruh Assembly Fellow with Assemblymember Mark Stone. She also served as board treasurer of the California Latino Capitol Association Foundation (CLCAF) and continues to mentor emerging Latino leaders in public policy. María began her professional career at HOPE as a research and communications fellow and is a proud alumna of the University of Southern California, holding a bachelor’s degree in global health with a minor in human rights. 

Tangela Blakely Reavis, Ph.D. is an associate professor of educational leadership and co-program director for the Doctorate in Educational Leadership for Equity and Social Change at Saint Mary’s College of California. She is a scholar-practitioner with nearly two decades of experience in student affairs, nonprofit leadership, and work at the intersection of research and policy. 

Her scholarship sits at the intersections of PK–12 and higher education and explores how the intersections of race, class, gender, policy, and organizational context, shape students’ pathways into, through, and beyond postsecondary education—particularly for Black and other historically marginalized communities. She has led and contributed to projects focused on college access and choice, the equity implications of “free college” programs, and Black women’s success in higher education. Her research has been supported by several organizations, including a multi-year grant from The Spencer Foundation to examine the racialized impact of the global pandemic on Black students’ college-going pathways. Her work has appeared in Teachers College Record, American Educational Research Journal, The Journal of Higher Education, and other policy outlets. 

Reavis has also contributed to statewide research-to-practice initiatives in California focused on leadership development across some of the state’s largest school districts and community colleges. Using continuous improvement strategies, this work has informed changes in grading practices, 9th grade transition supports, and the implementation of college promise programs—advancing access, affordability, and student success. 

In her work with educational leaders, Reavis supports the development of equity-driven leadership practices rooted in critical reflection, community context, and sustained advocacy. She works with leaders to interrogate injustice and reimagine educational institutions as sites of transformation. 

She serves on the executive board of Project Sankofa, a nonprofit supporting Black students and educators in racially isolated communities. A first-generation college graduate and product of New Haven public schools, Reavis earned a doctorate and a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a bachelor’s degree from Spelman College. 

Lorenzo Sianez Jr. is the Career Management Lead at San Diego State University and Program Manager with the SDSU Research Foundation. He also teaches at the University of California San Diego, where he received an award for excellence in teaching. At SDSU, he advances equity-focused initiatives that connect higher education with regional industry needs and manages a multi-donor effort to expand access to public service and healthcare careers through partnerships with community colleges and employers. With nearly a decade of experience in higher education, Lorenzo has worked in academic advising, global education, and equity-focused research. Earlier in his career, he served at the Consulate General of Mexico in San Jose, where he supported consular affairs and collaborated on college access initiatives for Latinx communities in Silicon Valley. Informed by his lived experience growing up near the U.S.–Mexico border as a queer Latino and former English learner, he brings a deep commitment to advancing equitable outcomes for underrepresented students. His research interests include equity in career development and pathways, social capital, inclusive pedagogy, and Spanish in the United States. He holds a master’s degree in postsecondary educational leadership from San Diego State University and a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Tecnologico de Monterrey (Mexico). He was part of the inaugural cohort of Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education LGBTQIA+ Leadership in Higher Education Institute. 

Hugo Solis Galeana currently works on Financial Aid related issues in the California Department of Finance, having previously worked on accountability, student assessments, and curriculum issues within the department. In this position, he has worked on technical and policy proposals for the annual Governor’s Budget and testified in front of the California Senate and Assembly to defend these proposals. Prior to finance, Hugo earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and sociology from the University of California, Davis and interned at the U.S. House of Representatives. He was drawn to public education policy as a first-generation student who received financial assistance through school and into college. As part of his work on financial aid, he is now able to work on the same policies that helped him get through college.

Roy Tongilava serves as a policy analyst at EdTrust-West, an advocacy organization committed to eliminating racial equity gaps for students of color and low-income students across California’s education systems. In this role, he supports policy research, analysis, and position development on school funding, accountability, and data systems. As the son of Pacific Islander immigrants and a first-generation college and graduate student, he experienced firsthand the inequities of public education. Those experiences ground his commitment to advancing opportunities for communities too often left at the margins. Prior to joining EdTrust-West, he served in the California State Legislature as the first Tongan Pacific Islander legislative staffer in numerous roles where he led policy analysis and legislative proposals aimed at expanding resources for underserved communities. He is a proud product of public schools and universities, having earned a master’s degree in public affairs from the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and a bachelor’s degree in public policy from the University of California, Riverside.