Steven César Almazán
K-12 Policy Leader | Civil Rights Advocate | First-Generation Latino
About me
Steven is an equity-focused, student-centered, and justice-minded education policy advocate.
As the son of Mexican immigrant parents and a product of the Los Angeles education system, Steven is focused on advancing educational equity and dismantling intergenerational poverty by designing policy strategies and campaigns that support the most marginalized communities.
Steven’s experience as a local community organizer, special education teacher, public policy professional, civil rights advocate, and public servant has helped cement his purpose in life to develop effective, efficient, and equitable policies that lift working-class families out of poverty and into prosperity.
Biography
Steven Almazán is the Director of Policy and Partnerships at EdVoice, an education advocacy organization focused on reshaping public education in California. Steven previously served as the K12 Education Senior Program Manager at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the nation’s oldest, largest, and most diverse civil and human rights coalition. In this role, Steven collaborated with national civil rights organizations centered on developing policy proposals and policy remedies to achieve educational equity and advance civil and human rights for children in early care and education and students in K12 education, specifically addressing discriminatory barriers for students of color, Native students, students with disabilities, English learners, LGBTQI+ youth, immigrant students, other marginalized students, and those living at the intersections of these identities.
Steven also serves as a Leadership Council Member of the Latino Community Foundation’s Los Angeles Latino Giving Circle, which is part of the largest network of Latino philanthropists committed to investing in Latino-led organizations in California working to create transformational and generational change. He co-leads the vision and development of the Los Angeles Latino Giving Circle’s strategic grant-making to ensure that a diverse group of over 90 grassroots philanthropists define funding priorities, evaluate funding proposals, and distribute funds to Latino-led organizations. Over the past several years, he has supported the giving circle’s overall impact, which has resulted in a total contribution of nearly $500,000 to 25 grassroots, Latino-led nonprofit organizations addressing racial disparities and advancing equitable outcomes for Latinos across Los Angeles.
Previously, Steven served as the Managing Director of External Affairs with Educators for Excellence-Los Angeles, where he supported over 100 teacher leaders in Los Angeles to formulate policy stances on education issues, propose district policies and state laws that elevate the teaching profession, and author policy reports, issue briefs, and fact sheets. Steven’s career began as a special education teacher with the Los Angeles Unified School District and KIPP SoCal Public Schools in East Los Angeles. While teaching, he campaigned and secured a competitive seat on the Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council as one of the youngest elected officials in Los Angeles’ neighborhood council system. Over the course of his career, he has participated in several fellowship programs hosted by New Leaders Council Los Angeles, Education Pioneers, Teach Plus, and Leadership for Educational Equity.
Steven received his dual bachelor’s degree (B.A.) in communication and psychology from the University of Southern California, a master’s degree (M.A.) in special education from Loyola Marymount University, a Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) degree in Public Policy Analysis from UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy, and a Certificate in Education Finance Certificate from Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy. He is also a proud alumnus of a Head Start and Early Head Start program in Boyle Heights.
