Naria Santa Lucia

As general manager for Microsoft Elevate, Naria leads Microsoft’s global capacity building solutions team, shaping education and workforce systems as they transition to the AI economy. Focused on expanding access to digital and AI skills, her team partners with governments, industry, educational institutions, and civil society worldwide so learners, educators, nonprofits, and workforce leaders can succeed in a rapidly changing world. Prior to joining Microsoft, Naria served as executive director of the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship (WSOS), a unique public-private partnership helping to build the next generation of scientists, engineers, technology specialists, mathematicians, and health care professionals in Washington state through scholarships and support services for low- and middle-income college students. Under Naria’s leadership, WSOS raised over $200M in public-private support for scholarships and supports and to support 20,000+ students - the majority of whom are women, students of color and/or first in their families to go to college. Naria has also served as executive director of the James B. Moran Center for Youth Advocacy, a juvenile and education law and social work organization in Illinois and the director of LAW Fund and the Endowment for Equal Justice at the Legal Foundation of Washington. Naria currently serves on (and was formerly the Co-Chair of) the World Bank’s Solutions for Youth Employment steering committee within the Jobs Group. She also serves on the Board of Seattle Arts and Lectures, where she is the Chair of the Development, as well as the Board of Taproot Foundation, a national organization with the mission of driving social change by leading, mobilizing, and engaging professionals in pro bono service. Naria is a graduate of the Law School and the College at the University of Chicago.