Alejandra Gaytan is the Community Outreach Program Manager at St. David’s Foundation. Alejandra is responsible for managing and coordinating all aspects of the Community Outreach program for the St. David’s Dental Program, including strategy development, expansion and outreach of its current operations, and cross-departmental collaborations to support, expand, and strengthen the Dental Program’s outreach in the community.
She comes from a background of over 10 years in non-profit work focused on strengthening access to education for underserved populations through program management and strategic planning regarding college-readiness, mental health, and trauma-informed work with community members, school district leaders, faculty, and staff. She previously worked at a federally qualified health center (FQHC) in her hometown, El Paso, Texas. At the FQHC, her efforts were also focused on prevention of teen pregnancy, chronic health support services, increasing awareness of the pivotal role a community health worker (CHW/Promotora) has in the public health sector, and strengthening ties between K-12 schools, higher education institutions, and community-based organizations.
She recently earned her Doctorate in Education from Johns Hopkins University with a focus on Mind, Brain, and Teaching and graduated with her undergraduate and master’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin. In her spare time, she likes to go back home and spend time with family and friends. She also enjoys taking walks with her dog, Bingo, running, exploring new coffee shops, and traveling.