Dr. Alba Ortiz is the Co-Executive Director of ELLAS Consulting (English Learner Leadership Advocacy Support). She is a Professor Emerita in the Department of Special Education at The University of Texas at Austin. She began her career as a speech and language pathologist and a special education and migrant education specialist. At UT, Dr. Ortiz taught in the multicultural special education program and held numerous administrative positions, including Director of the Office of Bilingual Education, Department of Special Education Chair, and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Research. A nationally recognized expert on the education of English Learners with language/learning disabilities, Dr. Ortiz’s areas of expertise include addressing the disproportionate representation of English Learners in special education, culturally and linguistically responsive Multi-tiered System of Supports, English Learners with language or learning disabilities, second language acquisition, and language assessment and programs for
English Learners.
