Associate Director, Public Policy
213.325.1524 | [email protected]Ajay Lucas is the Associate Director of Public Policy at UNITE-LA, where he leads strategic initiatives to advance cradle-to-career education and workforce policies that promote economic mobility, immigrant inclusion and equity for historically marginalized communities. Lucas is a skilled policy strategist with more than a decade of public, private and nonprofit sector experience.
Lucas previously served in UNITE-LA’s workforce development department where he led systems-change efforts to strengthen collaboration among education, business and workforce development leaders to move policies and transform education and workforce systems that prepare and connect workers to high-demand occupations. He has also served as an immigration legal service provider at the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN), where he built strategic partnerships with regional community colleges and CSU campuses to expand legal access and immigrant support services for students and families across Southern California.
Before transitioning to public service, Lucas spent nearly a decade in the fashion industry working with Fortune 500 companies, where he led product development and supply chain strategies that increased sales, expanded market reach, and streamlined operations - developing a sharp business acumen and commitment to results-driven strategy. His lived experience as an immigrant, paired with his professional background, fuels his passion for building inclusive systems that reflect the talent and potential of all communities.
Lucas holds a Master of Public Policy (MPP) from the University of Southern California and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley. He currently serves on the board of Californians Together, where he supports efforts to strengthen multilingual learner outcomes statewide.