ABOUT

Dr. Angela Birts | ​Educator, Consultant & Owner of Birts Equity and Inclusion Solutions, Adjunct Faculty at University of California Santa Cruz

Dr. Angela Birts is a professional educator, diversity consultant, social entrepreneur and college lecturer based out of the San Francisco Bay Area. Hailing from East Palo Alto/Menlo Park, Angela attended Menlo School, where she later was Director of Diversity & Inclusion for six years. Before that, Angela was an Academic Tutor Program Coordinator at College Track East Palo Alto and a Deputy Campus Director at Citizen Schools, Cesar Chavez Academy.   ​In 2018, Angela started a diversity consulting firm of her own.  Birts Equity and Inclusion Solutions focus on training and consultation for organizations seeking to expand their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. She holds a Bachelors in English and Communication from Lake Forest College, a Masters in Education Policy, Organization, & Leadership Studies from Stanford University, and an Education Doctorate from San Jose State University. Angela became the first African American to earn an EdD in the inaugural Educational Leadership Program. 

In 2018,  Angela became a part-time lecturer at the Division of Social Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz. She teaches courses on Social Justice in which students explore the injustices that many people confront in their lives and possible policies for addressing social, political, and economic inequalities.

Social Entrepreneur | Diversity Consultant  | Speaker 
Adjunct Professor | Activist

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Testimonials

"Dr. Birts is an excellent scholar and leader. She presented to my college classes and students loved it. I highly recommend Dr. Birts and Birts Equity and Inclusion Solutions."
​-African American Studies Professor, San Jose City College

"Angela was a expert panelist at our All Staff Retreat this year. Her insight and authenticity into DEI work was well received by staff and a compelling addition to our retreat. The combination of her own story and work with students at both College Track and Menlo gave credibility to our work."
-CEO, College Track

"Dr. Birts is a very organized, caring, reflective and compassionate educational leader. I hired her approximately one year ago to facilitate a panel, concerning race and equity. Her skills were beyond impressive, as she was able to command the attention of every participant, while keeping the integrity of the overall charge of the discussion."
-Chief Institutional Diversity Officer, Menlo School

 "Angela was a consultant to support our school's DEI initiative. Her interviews with staff allowed the admin team to better understand the adult culture and plan for next steps accordingly. Her presentation to staff was a detailed reflection of what is happening in various pockets of the school and included solutions based on what is most pressing to possible next steps for the future. It was great working with Angela and I look forward to consulting her in the future at my new site."
-Principal, Education for Change Public Schools

"One of Angela's strengths is the ability to think quickly and problem solve. Warm, self-effacing, very smart and committed to academic and cultural excellence, Angela will make an outstanding employee, contractor or consultant and I recommend her with great enthusiasm!"
-Executive Director, A Black Education Network ​

"Angela presented a timely and effective workshop on diversity when I was the Director of MOSAIC Cross Cultural Center at SJSU in the summer of 2016. The workshop was titled, "An inside out approach to diversity" and was done in direct response to high profile incidents of violence towards people of color in the country. Angela delivered a powerful presentation where participants had the opportunity to build their cultural proficiency through perspective taking and story telling. She was very easy to work with and professional. She provided all the handouts and worksheets prior to the workshop and sent a follow-up survey immediately afterwards. If given the opportunity, I would work with Angela again."
-Director of College Life, De Anza College

"Dr. Angie did an excellent job helping us re-frame and recommit to a more significant and well attended BSU (Black Student Union). Dr. Angie framed it in the history of the BSU and the importance of affinity groups. It was especially powerful to have her give weight to the value of ones identity and why we need to commit to honoring this in its every form. Students were motivated and very honored by her thoughtful approach."
-Principal, East Palo Alto Academy 

"Dr. Angela is a masterful leader, engaging students and staff in critical conversations around race, belonging and the power of collective voice."
-Assistant Principal, East Palo Alto Academy

"I became familiar with Angela's DEI expertise as a parent at Menlo School. I observed up close her ability to build community, improve understanding and sensitivity and create bridges across groups. Given her skills, I recommended her to lead a workshop for the Palo Alto Unified School District on DEI. In addition to being well-versed on the issues, she was a masterful moderator, able to lead people with differing perspectives toward greater mutual understanding in a very non-threatening way. Angela is top notch."
​-Parent, Menlo School

"Angela conducted a listening campaign at our school to inform how to best proceed with our school DEI work. As school leaders, we felt we were receiving varying opinions and feedback about what our staff wanted and needed in terms of DEI work. We decided to partner with Angela to perform a listening campaign to both unearth what staff members were thinking and feeling, and use trends in the responses to make recommendations for our work moving forward. Angela's work not only helped our staff feel heard, but also provided concrete data from which to strategically plan. We were provided with a full report that included the data and recommendations, and Angela presented her findings to our staff. It was a powerful experience for our school and I'm grateful for Angela's professionalism, communication throughout the process, and thoughtful analysis of her findings."
-Principal, Education for Change Public Schools