Magaly N. López

Magaly N. López (she/her) is the co-founder and associate director of the POWER in Workforce Development unit at the UCLA Labor Center, where she provides strategic leadership for research and evaluation initiatives that reimagine California’s workforce development system to elevate workers of color and strengthen industry standards in low-wage sectors. Her work is grounded in deep expertise in High Road Training Partnerships (HRTP), which she leverages to support equitable workforce strategies and systems-level change.

López holds a Master of Public Policy and a bachelor’s degree in International Development Studies and Spanish from UCLA. With over a decade of experience, she brings a strong track record in advancing equity-centered workforce systems, translating research into actionable strategy, and centering the perspectives of workers and communities of color in policy and practice. Prior to UCLA, she served as a senior associate researcher at the Equity Research Cooperative and previously worked as a data analyst at the USC Equity Research Institute, where her work focused on immigrant integration and social-movement building.

Raised in a family-run hometown association, López remains deeply engaged in community leadership. She founded a leadership development and college preparation program in Salinas, California, and currently serves on the board of the Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) program.