Melissa Lazarin

Director of Education Policy

Melissa Lazarín is Director for Education Policy at First Focus where she works closely with national advocacy organizations and congressional offices to enhance education opportunities for children in federal policy and legislation, including the No Child Left Behind Act and the “DREAM Act.”

Prior to joining First Focus, Ms. Lazarín worked as Associate Director for Education Policy at the National Council of La Raza (NCLR). At NCLR, she monitored federal legislation affecting K-12 English language learners and Latinos, community-based education, and access to higher education. In 2002-2004, she represented NCLR as co-chair of the Hispanic Education Coalition (HEC), an ad hoc coalition of national organizations dedicated to improving educational opportunities for Latinos. Ms. Lazarín also worked as a policy analyst with Social Policy Research Associates (SPR) in Oakland, California, where she evaluated Job Corps, school-to-work, and workforce development programs, and participated in research examining race and ethnic relations in high schools.

Ms. Lazarín was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Stanford University and a Master’s degree from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs.