Alexza serves as the Executive Director of EdTrust-Tennessee, where she leads efforts to increase educational opportunity and achievement for historically underserved students across the state. In this role, she works alongside advocacy organizations, policymakers, and stakeholders to advance strategic goals and initiatives that champion educational equity. Alexza is dedicated to ensuring that every student in Tennessee has access to the resources and opportunities they need to thrive. Recognized for her leadership in education justice, she is part of the Pahara Fellowship, an initiative that identifies exceptional senior leaders across the country working to shape the future of the educational excellence and equity movement in America.

Prior to joining EdTrust, Alexza led the day-to-day operations of the Tennessee Educational Equity Coalition, an influential leader in the K-12 policy arena in Tennessee. She oversaw communications, research and policy development, staffing, and project management. Prior to her work in the education justice movement, Alexza was a producer for some of the nation’s most high-profile television news programs, including CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, and The Nightly News with Brian Williams.

A daughter of Mexican immigrants and native of Southern California, Alexza earned a doctoral degree in communication studies from the University of Utah, a master’s degree in mediated communication from Pepperdine University, and an undergraduate degree in rhetoric and broadcast journalism from California State University, Long Beach.