Kathleah Pagdilao, M.A.
DIRECTOR, LEARNING AND INNOVATION (she/her)
Kathleah Consul Pagdilao serves as the Director of Learning and Innovation at CCEJ. Previously an elementary educator, Kathleah started as a CCEJ volunteer and eventually joined the team to create Conscious Classrooms. She has now been designing, coordinating, and facilitating critical dialogues on anti-oppression for over six years as well as supporting volunteers in their heart work at CCEJ. Kathleah strongly believes in the power of youth-adult partnerships that are rooted in anti-oppression work, listening to the voices of young people because they matter now and not just because they are the future.
Kathleah’s interests and experiences span many fields from conducting research at a progressive K-8 school and co-authoring articles including “Transnational Children Orchestrating Competing Voices in Multimodal, Digital Autobiographies” (Teachers College Record) to coordinating an oral history project in rural Colorado. After growing up in six different cities around the world, Kathleah is grateful to call Southern California home and to learn and work alongside community-centered leaders, including her fellow graduates of both the Leadership Long Beach Institute and The Nonprofit Partnership’s Emerging Leaders Program.
A proud daughter to immigrants, Kathleah is wholeheartedly invested in community and brings a collaborative spirit to her work with schools, workplaces, and organizations. She attributes her deep love of learning to her parents who taught her the value of education. Kathleah is grateful to work at CCEJ where she is able to bridge her love of education with social justice as well as find deep meaning in helping young people and adults feel seen, heard, and valued. A loyal and introverted Aquarius, Kathleah is a compassionate facilitator who enjoys connecting over shared stories, experiences, and laughter.