Elora Diaz

As a first-generation college graduate, Elora understands her achievements are too often
the exception for students and communities of color. This is why she has dedicated her
life towards ensuring every child has the tools and opportunities needed to choose their
own future. As the daughter of a teenage mother, and a new mother herself, she is even
more passionate about ensuring all students, regardless of where they come from,
receive an equitable and exceptional education.
Upon graduating from college, Elora became a seventh and ninth grade teacher in Title 1
schools in Maryvale. She later went on to help found a county-wide collective impact
coalition, Opportunities for Youth, which sought to decrease the rate of youth
disconnection in Maricopa County. Most recently she was the Education Policy Advisor
to former Phoenix Mayor, Greg Stanton. In her current role, she serves as the Director
of Strategic Partnerships and Initiatives with a focus on k-12 education in the
Educational Outreach and Students Services Division at Arizona State University.
Through the support of her community, Elora was recently elected to the Phoenix
Elementary Governing Board. Emerge provided the fundamental knowledge and
political network Elora needing to understand how to get her campaign started and keep
to the momentum going. In her governing board role, she will prioritize equity and
student success, teacher retention and recruitment, and family and community
involvement as a school board member.
Elora holds a bachelors and a masters degree from Arizona State University, where she
will also earn her Doctorate in Education Leadership in May of 2019.