Pearl Esau
The chief executive officer of a nonprofit advocacy organization discusses the importance of providing high-quality education to every child regardless of background, and its impact on the economy.
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President and CEO, Expect More Arizona
Pearl Chang Esau was the president and chief executive officer of Expect More Arizona, a nonpartisan education advocacy organization, until 2017. She then became the founder and chief executive officer of Shan Strategies, a strategic organization that seeks to increase educational and economic opportunity. She previously served as executive director of Teach for America-Phoenix, where she led a teacher corps serving 20,000 low-income students each year in the greater Phoenix area. She began her career in education teaching 5th-grade English language learners in east Los Angeles. She serves on numerous boards and advisory groups including the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, the Wells Fargo Community Advisory Board, Arizona Voices, and the United Way of Northern Arizona. She has also been appointed by the Governor to serve on education-related councils and committees. A Rhodes Scholar finalist in California, she graduated summa cum laude from the University of California–Los Angeles.