Sandra Zavala-Ortega

Sandra Zavala-Ortega is the incumbent for Position 2 on the Vancouver Public Schools Board of Directors, and the first Latina to serve as Board President. A graduate of Vancouver Public Schools (VPS), she attended Sara J. Anderson Elementary, Discovery Middle School, and graduated from Fort Vancouver High School in 2007. As a first-generation, multilingual student who did not speak English when she started kindergarten, she has a deep understanding of the challenges faced by diverse learners. Professionally, Zavala-Ortega is the Director for the LULAC National Educational Service Center (LNESC), where she assists first-generation and low-income students in preparing for college and careers. She also serves as a Leadership Consultant for the Washington State School Directors' Association (WSSDA) and previously worked as a Family-Community Resource Coordinator within VPS. She is the parent of a son who attends a school in the district.