Lázaro López

Lázaro López, EdD, serves as Senior Director of Pathways, working with states and national partners to design and implement career-connected learning systems that expand opportunity for every learner.

A former high school principal and district leader, Laz helped build Illinois’ High School District 214 into a nationally recognized leader in career-connected learning. He brings more than three decades of practical leadership experience designing and scaling career pathways while advancing state and national education policy.

Laz served as the longest-tenured Chair of the Illinois Community College Board (2015–2025) and continues to shape state and national policy through leadership on the Apprenticeship Illinois Work-Based Learning Committee and service on the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Commission on Workforce in America and the Gates Foundation’s Commission on Purposeful Pathways.

A first-generation college graduate and U.S. Army veteran, Laz is committed to ensuring every learner graduates with purpose, opportunity, and a clear path to economic mobility.