Paola Santana

Paola Santana is an executive director at Glendale College Foundation.

She served as a strategy officer for state policy at Lumina Foundation from 2019 to 2023 supporting states’ efforts to increase attainment and eliminate racial disparities by implementing Lumina’s state policy agenda.

Prior to joining Lumina, she led the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce’s college access and success portfolio. She was responsible for the implementation of direct service programming, the development of the chamber’s higher education policy advocacy agenda, and providing strategic support to the local Talent Hub. Santana began her career working for the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education, where she advised board members on policy issues and worked with educators, administrators, students, and families to improve educational opportunities in the country’s second-largest school district.

Santana is a graduate of the Riordan Leadership Institute, the Pahara NextGen Network, and the California Education Policy Fellowship Program.

She has served on the board of directors of the Foundation for the Los Angeles Community Colleges and as the Foundation’s representative on the district citizens’ oversight committee. A first-generation and community college transfer student, Santana holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s in higher education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

The requirements for handing out state financial aid can impact students of color negatively, but we can change that

The way many states choose to dole out financial aid could have the “unintentional consequence of disproportionately excluding students who are Black or Hispanic and Latino,” new research shows.

• Feb. 23, 2023

Shifting some strategies can help us put racial equity first

When we launched our strategic plan, Lumina Foundation recommitted to doing all it can to reach the goal of at least 60 percent of Americans having a degree or some other high-quality credential beyond the high school diploma.

• Aug. 3, 2021

There’s a better way to defuse racial tension and improve legislative debates

With the brutal killing of George Floyd and last summer’s Black Lives Matter protests, more state legislatures are debating measures that intersect with how we think about race in society.

• March 2, 2021

Changes in how Lumina makes grants and awards contracts will highlight the need for racial justice and equity

Lumina Foundation has a long-standing commitment to achieving racial equity—the point when an individual’s race or ethnicity no longer predicts educational outcomes. Creating a learning system in which Black, Hispanic, and Native American people are a priority was crucial to our launch 20 years ago.

• Jan. 14, 2021

Equity Narratives: For the undocumented, it’s hard to shake the grip of fear

In our home country, my family was considered white and middle class. But all that changed when my family and I emigrated to the United States when I was 10 years old.

• Feb. 27, 2020

Lumina grants bring new urgency to boosting success among students of color

Lumina Foundation has selected seven states to receive short-term grants of up to $50,000 to advance equity-minded leadership aimed at increasing post-high school learning among students of color.

• July 22, 2019