Alicia Garcia
About
Deputy Director
Alicia Garcia, PhD, a managing director at AIR, serves as the deputy director of REL Southwest. In this role, Garcia maintains connections with critical policymakers and education stakeholders in the region’s five states. She also coordinates and leads evidence-based efforts, including research, technical support, and engagement, to address high-leverage education needs to inform policies, programs, and practices. Under previous REL contracts, Garcia served as the deputy director for REL Midwest and as an alliance liaison for the REL Southwest Texas Hispanic STEM Research alliance. With more than 16 years’ experience in education law and policy, Garcia also previously served as the director of the Midwest Comprehensive Center and as director of the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Statistics, Website and Training contract, which focused on updating the WWC review standards and certification process as well as maintaining the online systems for reviewers. Prior to joining AIR, Garcia was a practicing attorney in the field of education law. She holds a JD from the University of Texas School of Law.