Alma C. Castro, Ed.D.

Dr. Alma Carina Castro serves as a School Board Member for the Lynwood Unified School District, where she and her eight siblings attended K–12 schools. She also serves on the California School Boards Association as the Director‑at‑Large, Hispanic, and and previously served as President of the Los Angeles County School Trustees Association, representing more than 80 public school districts.

Dr. Castro is the Director of California Initiatives at the English Learner Success Forum, advancing efforts to strengthen high-quality, culturally and linguistically responsive instructional materials and professional learning in partnership with school districts, county offices of education, state agencies, and education organizations.

With over two decades of experience in PK–16 public education, Dr. Castro has served as a teacher, associate principal, university lecturer, and director of statewide professional development. She has led WASC Self‑Study processes in the greater Los Angeles area and served as a WASC visiting committee member, contributing to schoolwide improvement planning.

Dr. Castro is deeply engaged in local, state, and federal advocacy, focusing on equitable education funding, removing barriers to student success, promoting multilingual learner success, mental health and policies that ensure all students have access to rigorous, high‑quality instruction. Her doctoral research, Herencia y Legado: Validating the Linguistic Strengths of English Learners via the LAUSD Seal of Biliteracy Awards Program, reflects her longstanding commitment to recognizing multilingualism as an educational asset and expanding pathways for student success.

She holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from California State University, Long Beach; an M.Ed. in Teacher Education from UCLA; an M.A. in School Administration from CSU Dominguez Hills; and a B.A. in Sociology from UCLA.