Aisha Lowe

Aisha Lowe

Dr. Aisha Lowe is a passionate educator who has dedicated her life to improving education for all students and communities. Over the past 25 years, Aisha has worked across the field of education as a K-12 teacher, researcher and non-profit leader, as well as a higher education faculty member and administrator, effectively leading policy, research and practice initiatives. Dr. Lowe currently serves as Associate Vice Chancellor of Planning, Research, and Institutional Effectiveness for the Los Rios Community College District, leading strategic planning and evaluation efforts for the district’s four colleges. Prior to her current role, Dr. Lowe served as the Executive Vice Chancellor of the Office of Equitable Student Learning, Experience, and Impact (ESLEI) for the CA Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. In this leadership position, Dr. Lowe led Academic Affairs, Student Services, and Workforce & Economic Development for the state’s 116 colleges and 1.9 million students, overseeing over $3 billion in funding and numerous statewide programs and initiatives. Aisha began her time at the Chancellor’s Office as Vice Chancellor of Educational Services and Supports where she provided leadership for Educational Services division Academic Affairs activities in six core areas: 1) curriculum chaptering and approval; 2) intersegmental coordination with CSU, UC and private 4-year institution partners; 3) student equity programs; 4) new program development; 5) enrollment and retention initiatives; and 6) innovations in teaching and learning (e.g., credit for prior learning, competency based education).

Previously, Dr. Lowe served as Associate Professor of Education at William Jessup University, where she oversaw the thesis research of future teachers in training. She also served as the Dean of the Office of Academic Research, leading the university’s Strategic Academic Research Plan and academic grant making. She served as Executive Director of STAND UP, a Sacramento education non-profit, and was the Director of Research and Evaluation for the California Charter Schools Association where she authored landmark charter school accountability approaches and a seminal report about the performance of African American students in California.

Dr. Lowe has held numerous leadership positions, as the Executive Director of the East Palo Alto Stanford Academy, the Tutorial Director of the East Palo Alto Tennis and Tutoring Program, a site coordinator for the Educational Program for Gifted Youth (Korea), and the Coordinator for Partners for Academic Excellence at Stanford. She served as the Co-Chair of the Board of Directors of Fellowship Academy and on the Board of Trustees and as President of the Alumni Council at The Urban School of San Francisco, both her alma mater. Dr. Lowe also formerly served as a member of the advisory board for USC’s Center on Educational Governance.

Dr. Lowe received her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and her Master’s in Sociology from Stanford University where she also received her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology. Dr. Lowe uses her research on effective strategies for educating students of color to help K-12 and college faculty create classroom environments of acceptance and belonging to fully support the whole student and maximize their academic outcomes.