PACE Conference-Pearl Chang Esau Biography

Pearl Chang Esau is the President & CEO of Expect More Arizona, a high expectations movement dedicated to making Arizona education the best in the nation. Prior to this role, she served as the executive director of Teach For America • Phoenix, where she led a staff of 30 team members and 350 corps members teaching almost 20,000 pre-K through 12th grade students growing up in low-income communities. Pearl started her career in education as a Teach For America corps member, teaching 5th grade English Language learners in East Los Angeles, which inspired her to dedicate her life to improving educational opportunities for all students. Currently, Pearl serves on the board of the Arizona Business and Education Coalition, the Wells Fargo Community Advisory Board, ASU’s Community Council, and Act One, an organization dedicated to increasing access to arts and culture for low-income students. She was appointed to the Governor’s Arizona Ready Council, the AZ Department of Education’s steering committee for standards and assessments, and serves as the chair of the Discovery Triangle’s expert education group. Pearl was recently recognized by the Phoenix Business Journal as one of the Valley’s 25 Most Admired CEOs and by Arizona Business Magazine as one of the 50 most influential women in Arizona. She graduated summa cum laude from UCLA and holds teaching credentials from UCLA’s graduate school of education and information studies. She is married to an elementary school principal and has a one-year old daughter.


Pearl Chang Esau President, CEO, Expect More Arizona Pearl Chang Esau is the President & CEO of Expect More Arizona, a high expectations movement dedicated to making Arizona education the best in the nation. Prior to this role, she served as the executive director of Teach For America • Phoenix, where she led a staff of 30 team members and 350 corps members teaching almost 20,000 pre-K through 12th grade students growing up in low-income communities. Pearl started her career in education as a Teach For America corps member, teaching 5th grade English Language learners in East Los Angeles, which inspired her to dedicate her life to improving educational opportunities for all students. Currently, Pearl serves on the board of the Arizona Business and Education Coalition, the Wells Fargo Community Advisory Board, ASU’s Community Council, and Act One, an organization dedicated to increasing access to arts and culture for low-income students. She was appointed to the Governor’s Arizona Ready Council, the AZ Department of Education’s steering committee for standards and assessments, and serves as the chair of the Discovery Triangle’s expert education group. Pearl was recently recognized by the Phoenix Business Journal as one of the Valley’s 25 Most Admired CEOs and by Arizona Business Magazine as one of the 50 most influential women in Arizona. She graduated summa cum laude from UCLA and holds teaching credentials from UCLA’s graduate school of education and information studies. She is married to an elementary school principal and has a one-year old daughter.