Dr. Carissa A. Purnell is an educator who believes in uplifting and developing the voice of community utilizing knowledge, learning, and critical thought as the catalyst for change and empowerment. Through education, she believes we combat inequity and injustice and develop knowledge in underrepresented communities. As an advocate for culturally rooted healing practices, she promotes systemic change rooted in the teachings of our pasts, ethnic identities, and stories.

She is the Director of the Alisal Family Resource Center Network for the Alisal Union School District, where she and her team support children and families with wrap around support including immigration, housing, literacy, mental health, and access to preventative medical services.

She lectures at CSUMB in the Service Learning Department, in the Ethnic Studies Department at Hartnell College and the State Prison. She serves on the board for the Alisal Center for the Fine Arts, César Chávez Fútbol Academy, and is an elected official representing California’s 30th Assembly District as a Democratic delegate.

She earned her Bachelor’s in English from the University of California at Santa Cruz, her Master’s in Library Science, Information Architecture and Systems Design from San Jose State University, and her Doctorate in Educational Leadership at San Francisco State University. Her dissertation is titled, “Amor Sin Condicciones: The Impact of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy on Latin@ Students.”