by 
Program Officer, Racial Equity & Community Engagement | W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Panelist | The Changing Philanthropic Landscape
Dr. Icela Pelayo is a Program Officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation working on the foundation’s efforts on racial equity and community engagement supporting thriving children, working families, and equitable communities. She supports local community leaders of multisector collaborations implementing Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation efforts. Previously, Icela served in various roles at the New Mexico Public Education Department, including Acting Deputy Cabinet Secretary of Teaching and Learning and Director of Bilingual Multicultural Education. Pelayo serves as a board member of Hispanics in Philanthropy. She earned her PhD from the University of Southern California in K-12 Education Policy, focusing on the intersection of policy, teaching, and learning of multilingual students. She earned an MA in elementary education while working as a public school teacher in Los Angeles, and a BA from the University of California, Berkeley. Pelayo is proud to be a first-generation college graduate, bilingual, and daughter of Mexican immigrants.
