ARLA RUIZ

Arlahée (Arla) Ruiz is a seasoned educator both in the classroom and in administration. She served for 10 years as a High School Principal at NFL YET College Prep Academy, and also as a program director at A for Arizona. She brings years of non-profit and educational work that covers a wide span of educational needs. With a focus on evaluation, teacher formation, and building the systems that influence student outcomes & school culture, Arlahée's work has primarily been focused on serving students from diverse backgrounds.

Arlahée’s extensive background in the education sector spans a variety of administrative roles in a charter network located in the heart of South Phoenix. Becoming the principal of the very same high school in which she attended upon immigrated from Mexico is a point of pride and an important aspect of her career. Under her leadership, the school went through a cultural and operational transformation resulting in receiving the highest rating given by the Arizona Department of Education and maintaining it for multiple years.

Her tenacity led her to work with A for Arizona, as the Director of Outcome and Community Outreach. She had the opportunity to work with principals across the state learning new academic models and collaborating with educational leaders to identify challenges preventing student advancement and their achievement of greater results.  In addition, she oversaw the implementation of grants that were awarded to entrepreneurial educators who developed innovative models and successfully executed strategies to close achievement gaps exacerbated during onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant school closures.

Leveraging her past experience in developing well-rounded educational programs and advocating for innovation in education, her efforts remain dedicated toward ensuring quality education for all students, in particular for those students in low-income communities.

Arlahée was the recipient of the 2015 Charter School Transformational Leader of the Year award by the Arizona Charter Schools Association for her dedication and leadership to provide a better future for students.  She is a graduate of the Beat the Odds program, a principal and mentorship program, obtaining the gold award status for successive years of superior student academic achievement gains.