Alexandria Medina

Ali brings over 20 yrs of experience in designing alternative education experiences to youth across the East Bay. Her leadership is based in service with a mission to bring educational equity to students in Oakland. She is a deep believer in the power of youth and their ability to make the change they want to see in their community.

Ali Medina has served as the Interim Executive Director of the Oakland Public Education Fund since April 2020. Under her leadership in the last 6 months, she led the agency through two major campaigns, COVID-19 Rapid Relief Campaign and #OaklandUndivided. Their COVID-19 campaign raised over $3 million for food security, distance learning, healthy schools and direct aid to families. In September, they will have provided $1 million in cash disbursements to families across Oakland. As a lead founding partner in the #OaklandUndivided, the Oakland Public Education Fund serves as the fiscal sponsor of this city-wide campaign to close the digital divide which will provide 25,000 students in Oakland public schools with computers and internet access. The #OU campaign raised $13 million dollars in its first round and this work will continue to ensure students are connected and learning throughout the city.

Before joining the Oakland Public Education Fund, Ali spent 8 years as the Senior Director of Programs at a community-based education organization in Oakland working with secondary students and building a new preschool in East Oakland. During her tenure there, she created, designed and implemented community school programming at four Oakland High Schools to build career pathways and is an expert in utilizing data to drive improvement.

Ali began her career in Mount Diablo Unified School District working with the Title 1 schools in Concord and Bay Point communities. During her time with MDUSD, she worked on the forefront of after school program development and was a statewide leader in the healthy schools movement. She served as the After School Services Administrator for MDUSD for five years administering over $4 million dollars in state and federal grant funded programs and intervention services. Ali is a graduate of UC Berkeley Class of 1997 with a BA in History focusing on Ethnic Studies and earned a Masters in Educational Leadership from Cal State East Bay.