Gov. Bob Ferguson has appointed Naria K. Santa Lucia of Seattle as a member of the
Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, effective Feb. 24, 2026.
With a long history of professional advocacy for Washington's youth and low- and middle-income college students, Santa Lucia's current role is general manager for Microsoft Elevate (formerly Microsoft Philanthropies). At Microsoft, Santa Lucia Naria leads Microsoft’s global capacity-building solutions team, shaping education and workforce systems as they transition to the AI economy.
In addition to serving in leadership and advising roles for education, justice, and equity-related organizations such as the World Bank's Solutions for Youth Employment steering committee and the board of the Seattle Arts and Lectures, Santa Lucia served as executive director of the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship (WSOS). Under her leadership, WSOS raised over $100M in public-private support for scholarships and supports for 20,000+ students.
“Washington State's public community and technical colleges are truly unparalleled in their ability to open doors and create opportunity for people across our state," said Santa Lucia. "I am deeply honored to join this Board and excited to learn from the students, educators, and communities who make this system so extraordinary.”
The nine-member, governor-appointed Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges provides leadership, advocacy, and coordination for Washington’s system of 34 public community and technical colleges. Each year, over 300,000 students train for the workforce, prepare to transfer to a university, gain basic math and English skills, or pursue continuing education.
Santa Lucia is filling the position previously held by Jay Reich of Seattle, who recently retired.
