Archives: Staff & Board

Amber Riehman

Professional Learning Specialist

Amber Riehman, an educational leader from San Diego, is dedicated to promoting democratic education and equitable practices. As a Professional Learning Specialist with Californians Together, she provides crucial support for high-level instruction, implementing the California EL Roadmap Policy to ensure all multilingual learners receive the best possible education. With nine years of experience in secondary education, Amber has significantly contributed to enhancing English learner programs and leading dual language initiatives. In addition, she served as an instructor at SDSU, focusing on Integrated and Designated English Language Development for Single Subject teacher candidates. She is pursuing a doctoral degree with San Diego State and Claremont Graduate University, focusing on researching joy and belonging within educational environments. Amber’s commitment to student-centered learning is evident through her professional development and curriculum design efforts.

Vickie Ramos Harris

President

Vickie Ramos Harris has two decades of experience advocating for educational equity in California, Boston, and New York City. Vickie’s “community-based policy making” lens drives her work in early childhood (ECE), K-12 and Dual Language Learner/English Learner (DLL/EL) education. As Director of Educational Equity at Advancement Project California, Vickie leads policy advocacy across the Birth to 12th grade system to advance racial equity and economic justice, focusing on areas including: ECE, DLL/EL and bilingual education, ECE-K-12 systems alignment, full and fair funding for public education. She has led and supported research, program design, community engagement and local, state and federal policy and implementation, including state and school district investments in ECE and bilingual education, as well as the creation of a new grade level (transitional kindergarten) in California.

Vickie previously served as Advancement Project California’s Associate Director of Educational Equity, Early Edge California’s State Policy Director, and  Chief of Staff to LAUSD Board Vice-President Yolie Flores. Her prior work also includes direct service with children and families with the Boyle Heights Learning Collaborative, Families In Schools, Upward Bound, Children’s Aid Society, Loisaida Inc., and the Carrera Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program. Vickie holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Pomona College, and a master’s degree from Harvard University Graduate School of Education. She advocates for DLLs with the Coalition for Quality Early Education, was a fellow with the English Learner Leadership & Legacy Initiative, and formerly served on the Pomona College Alumni Board as well as Board President of the Children’s Collabrium.

Anya Hurwitz

Vice President

Dr. Anya Hurwitz is the Executive Director of SEAL (Sobrato Early Academic Language). She has a longstanding commitment to creating the conditions for public schools to meet the diverse needs of their students’ academic and socio-emotional development. Dr. Hurwitz has worked as a teacher, school leader, district administrator, and within the educational nonprofit sector. The early part of her career was in New York City where she helped start a small secondary school in the Bronx and later became a Network Leader within the NYC Department of Education to a diverse group of 24 schools, preschool through early college. In 2010, she moved to northern California and began working as an educational consultant supporting district and school leaders as they planned and implemented strategic reform efforts.

Dr. Hurwitz joined the SEAL team in 2014 as Deputy Director and became Executive Director in 2017. She has a masters from Teacher College, Columbia University, and a doctorate in educational leadership from UC Berkeley.

Ajay Lucas

Member at Large

Ajay Lucas is a seasoned policy strategist with over a decade of experience in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. In his current role as Senior Policy Manager at UNITE-LA, he leverages his extensive background to strengthen the organization’s cradle-through-career policy agenda.

Prior to his current role, Lucas led systems-change efforts within the workforce development department at the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, fostering collaboration among education, business, and workforce leaders. He has also served as an immigration legal service provider at the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN), spearheading partnerships with local community colleges and state universities in Southern California.

Before transitioning to policy work, Lucas spent nearly a decade in the fashion industry, working with Fortune 500 companies. His experiences as a formerly undocumented immigrant fueled his passion for advocacy in education equity, language justice, LGBTQ+ rights, immigration reform, and economic justice. He is committed to enhancing education and career pathways for marginalized communities, particularly immigrants and English learners in California.

Lucas holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from UC Berkeley and is currently completing a master’s degree in public policy at the University of Southern California. In his spare time, Lucas enjoys hiking, running, mentoring students, and caring for his over 100 house plants, embodying the spirit of continuous self-improvement and service to others.

Cristal Zeas

Administrative Assistant

Cristal Zeas is the administrative assistant for the English Learner Leadership and Legacy Initiative and is assisting the Support for Immigrant and Refugee Students (SIRS) project for Californians Together. As a Bay Area native and daughter of Peruvian and Nicaraguense immigrants, Cristal understands the need for accessible resources to help English learners excel in their education and personal endeavors. As a student who had the opportunity to become trilingual in English, Spanish and Chinese, she’s inspired by the work Californians Together does to encourage and impact English learners and bilingualism. When she isn’t working for Californians Together, she’s working alongside bankruptcy, immigration, and dependency law attorneys to further advocate equal opportunities and justice for immigrants and their families.

Cristina Salazar

Legislative Advocate

Cristina Salazar grew up as a migrant student so the 17 years of migration gave her a true bilingual and bicultural education that helped shape her world views. Understanding we live in an era of globalization and fluid borders, Cristina attended Sacramento State University where she majored in International Relations to learn how we function as a global society. After graduation, she fell in love with policy and making positive change at the state level through her work in the state legislature. As a long term English learner, she understands the needs of these students and is excited to advocate for them through her work with Californians Together. During her free time she enjoys photography and capturing precious moments of her children.