Manager, Public Policy
(213) 325-1524 | [email protected]Ajay ‘AJ’ Lucas is a Policy Manager at UNITE-LA where he leverages previous experiences to strengthen UNITE-LA's cradle to career policy agenda.
Prior to joining UNITE-LA’s policy team, Lucas served as a Senior Coordinator for UNITE-LA’s Workforce Development department, where he led systems change efforts to create and support effective collaboration among education, business and workforce development leaders to move policies and transform education and workforce systems to prepare and connect workers to high-demand occupations. Lucas has also served as an immigration legal service provider while at the Central American Resource Center and spearheaded CARECEN’s partnerships with local community colleges and state universities in Southern California.
After spending nearly a decade in the fashion industry, Lucas felt compelled to contribute to advancing issues he cared most about including advancing education equity, LGBTQ+ advocacy, immigration reform and economic justice. His corporate background coupled with his experience navigating education and workforce systems as an undocumented Angeleno allows him to bring a unique skillset to UNITE-LA’s cradle to career policy work when analyzing, developing and communicating initiatives that drive positive change.
Lucas is a proud alumnus of University of California, Berkeley and a Marco Antonio Firebaugh Scholar. And he can point you to the best restaurants and minority-owned coffee shops in Los Angeles.