Find Your Drill Team - CALSA | Ofelia Ceja-Lariviere

What does it really take to shatter inequities in education?

In this episode of the Shattering Inequities Podcast, host Dr. Robin Avelar La Salle sits down with Ofelia Ceja-Lariviere, Executive Director of the California Association of Latino Superintendents and Administrators (CALSA), for a powerful conversation about leadership, identity, and systemic change.

From her journey as an immigrant student navigating bias and exclusion to her role as a statewide leadership architect, Ofelia shares how CALSA has grown from a small network into a nearly 800-member constellation of leaders committed to equity, depth of knowledge, and authentic followership.

This episode challenges surface-level reform and explores why:

• One great leader is not enough—we need constellations
• Leadership requires credibility, courage, and community
• Mentorship and deep professional learning drive lasting change
• Systems must change so every student can thrive

If you’re an educator, school leader, superintendent, policymaker, or advocate committed to ensuring every child receives a premium education, this conversation is for you.

Key Topics Covered

• CALSA’s mission and evolution
• Mentoring and developing equity-driven leaders
• Why leadership is lonely—and why community matters
• The difference between authority and followership
• Confronting bias, trauma, and systemic barriers in education
• Building capacity that lasts beyond one initiative or leader

Episode Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to Shattering Inequities
• 01:52 Meet Ofelia Ceja-Lariviere
• 02:33 The Origins and Growth of CALSA
• 07:51 Mentorship and Leadership Pipelines
• 13:48 Leadership Challenges in Real School Systems
• 24:07 Credibility and Followership
• 26:33 Authentic, Values-Based Leadership
• 29:37 Building Capacity Across Communities
• 31:50 Ofelia’s Immigrant Story
• 39:57 Creating Leadership Constellations
• 44:04 Collective Wisdom and Systems Change
• 49:21 Final Reflections and Call to Action