Cecilia Morales

As Manager of Education Initiatives, Cecilia assists with mobilizing philanthropy to advance educational equity in San Diego County. Cecilia is responsible for supporting the implementation of the suite of education equity strategies that improve educational outcomes in K – 16 so students are prepared for college and career success. Cecilia draws on her considerable knowledge of the local K – 12, post-secondary and community-based educational landscape to support strategic regional efforts toward better educational outcomes for San Diego County students.

Prior to joining The Foundation, Cecilia supported the University of California, San Diego’s Campus Initiatives development officers where she successfully engaged with UC San Diego alumni, The Preuss School alumni, donors, and institutional leadership. In this role, Cecilia supported the efforts in raising over $600,000 as part of a $2 billion campaign for UC San Diego. As a Graduate Assistant, Cecilia worked with The Office of Educational Opportunity Programs and Ethnic Affairs at San Diego State University supporting the outreach and recruitment efforts of prospective first-generation students. Prior to this, Cecilia was the Program Coordinator at Converse International School of Languages and was responsible for managing the execution of four residential summer English camps at Yale University, Georgetown University, Loyola Marymount, and the University of San Diego for international youth. In addition, Cecilia has worked with federal TRIO programs supporting five different school districts in San Diego County to increase college access for students who are furthest from opportunity.

Cecilia is a member of UC San Diego’s Chicanx/Latinx Alumni Council. She earned her bachelor’s degree at UC San Diego in Ethnic Studies and Sociology, as well as a master’s degree in Postsecondary Educational Leadership from San Diego State University. Cecilia is a proud San Diego native, born and raised in Barrio Logan and Southeast San Diego.