Layla Avila

Layla Avila leads TNTP's largest group, which recruits more than 1,600 teachers each year for high-need schools and subjects, and pioneers new ways of preparing those teachers to be effective in the classroom.

Previously, as a Vice President and Partner for TNTP’s Teaching Fellows Programs, Layla managed the design and implementation of projects across the Southwest.

Layla started her career with Teach For America in 1997, working as a bilingual and ESL teacher at August A. Mayo Elementary School in Compton, CA, and serving on the school's Leadership Team. She also served as an analyst for the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence For Hispanic Americans, an interagency working group to increase educational opportunities for Hispanic Americans.

Layla holds a BA in Economics from Columbia University and a Master's degree in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Layla was elected to the South Whittier School District Board of Trustees in 2005. In 2008, she was one of 10 women honored by Maybelline and People en Espanol magazine with the “Beauty of Education” award, for outstanding individuals having a significant, positive impact on education in America.