User Profile

Chief Executive Officer, College Track

Elissa Salas is the chief executive officer of College Track, a national college completion program that empowers students from underserved communities to succeed to and through college. College Track makes a 10-year commitment to every student, helping remove the academic, financial, and social-emotional barriers that prevent low-income and first-generation students from earning a college degree and achieving upward social mobility. Since becoming CEO in 2014, Elissa has led the expansion of the program in Denver, Sacramento, Watts, and the D.C. Metro Area. Today, College Track serves more than 3,000 students across ten centers. As a first-generation college graduate herself, Elissa has dedicated her career to improving educational outcomes for students of color from low-income communities. Before joining College Track, Elissa served as the chief academic officer of the Girls Athletic Leadership School. There, she led a team of educators to rank among the top 25 percent for academic growth in Denver Public Schools. Prior to this role, she was a senior policy analyst for D.C. Public Schools, where she managed a portfolio of innovative school models. Elissa began her career in education as a Teach for America corps member at Locke High School in Los Angeles. Elissa is a member of the Latino Community Foundation Latina Giving Circle and chairs the Leadership Council for Great Oakland Public Schools. She holds a BA in political science from the University of La Verne and an M.Ed from California State University, Dominguez Hills. She is a Fellow of the 21st class of the Pahara - Aspen Education Fellowship and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.