Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity
Luzelma Canales currently serves as the Chief of Staff at the Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity, where previous titles have included Vice President for Community Engagement and Partnerships, and Associate Vice President of Leadership Learning & Activation. With extensive experience in higher education and community engagement, Luzelma has contributed significantly to initiatives aimed at improving student success and completion, particularly for low-income students and students of color, during time at Achieving the Dream, Inc. and The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Other key roles include Executive Director of RGV FOCUS, Success by the Numbers Consultant at the University of Texas at Austin, and Executive Director of Resource Development at Lone Star College. Luzelma holds a Ph.D. in Human Resource Development from Texas A&M University, alongside an MBA and BBA from The University of Texas-Pan American.
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Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity
BranchED is the first and only nonprofit organization in the nation dedicated to strengthening and growing educator preparation at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), with the larger goals of both diversifying the teaching profession and intentionally addressing critical issues of educational equity for all students. BranchEd is extending its reach into K-12 by supporting principal coaching and training, with a focus on advancing equity for all students. More than half of American public-school students are children of color, and only 18% of their teachers are from these same racial and ethnic groups. The Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity (BranchED) was founded in 2017 to empower, connect, and advance Minority Serving Institutions (HBCUs, HSIs, tribal colleges, and others) to maximize programming and drive innovation in preparing highly-effective educators who reflect and champion the diversity of our nation’s school children. These 279 Minority Serving Institutions comprise 13% of education providers in the United States, but train 51% of all Hispanic students earning bachelor’s degrees in education, 51% of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander teacher candidates, 38% of African American teacher candidates, and 35% of bachelor’s degrees in education for Native Americans and Asian Americans. BranchED has three goals that guide its work: • Empower: working together to strengthen and grow MSI educator preparation programs by providing capacity building support that enhances MSI capabilities • Connect: strengthening relationships among MSIs by building partnerships to spur collaboration and innovation • Advance: amplifying a collective voice and advocating for shared interests by promoting awareness of educator diversity and championing MSIs