Jessenia Reyes

Jessenia Reyes currently serves as the Director of Educational Equity at Catalyst California. She supports the Educational Equity team with the overall management of the program and leads strategic planning of advocacy campaigns that advance equity and reflect community priorities across California. She previously served as the Manager for Educational Equity. She led statewide conferences and supported campaigns around equity, educator workforce, adequate funding, and alignment between Early Care and Education and K-12 education systems. Collaborating with community-based organizations, Jessenia worked on initiatives that passed equitable policies that shifted millions of dollars to the state’s high and highest-needs schools.

Before joining Catalyst California, Jessenia worked in after-school programming, where she became passionate about working with young people and undocumented families within education settings. Due to her experience in direct service and school systems, she believes that education equity is the key for families and students to overcome systematic challenges. She is a first-generation student, born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, where she attended local public schools, received her B.A. in Child and Adolescent Development at California State University, Northridge, and received her Master’s in Social Work at the University of Southern California.