PRESIDENT AND CEO

Carlos Cuauhtémoc Ayala, PhD

Dr. Carlos Ayala, a longtime educator, administrator, and former Dean of California State University, Sonoma’s College of Education, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Growing Inland Achievement (GIA), an education collaborative focused on improving the economic outlook of the Inland Empire by raising the region’s educational attainment rates.

Dr. Ayala began his academic work as a chemist, science and math teacher, small business owner, and school principal in Calexico, California. At Stanford University, he was a quantitative educational researcher specializing in formative assessment tools for continuous learning and improvement. While at Sonoma State, he taught science methods and educational research courses, and served in faculty leadership.  As Dean, the School of Education created an early childhood studies major, a Maker Educator Certificate Program, and a financial literacy program. In addition, Dr. Ayala worked across the university to support Sonoma’s first successful Hispanic Serving Institution grant, the campus Maker Space and Maker Faculty Learning Community, and campus-wide social justice initiatives.

In the Sonoma Community, he worked alongside numerous K-12 superintendents, community college leadership, and community programs to support all students in their college and career goals. In addition, Ayala served on Sonoma County’s Upstream Portfolio review panel, helping design an evidence-based system to support the county’s nonprofits.  Ayala has bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and environmental studies from UC Santa Cruz, a master’s in educational leadership from San Diego State University, and a doctorate in education from Stanford University.

Dr. Ayala brings deep knowledge of the education landscape, strong leadership, and a passion for positively impacting student lives.  He believes that the people of the Inland Empire are hardworking, have grit, and the will to improve their local economy through increased educational attainment and workforce alignment.  He strives to realize the potential of all one million Inland Empire P-16 students, and he knows that we can accomplish this by working together across institutions, counties, and subregions.