Dr. Ana Luz Gonzalez-Vasquez has over 17 years of experience conducting quantitative and qualitative research and evaluation projects. In 2010, she co-authored a ground-breaking report on the prevalence of wage theft and workplace violations among low-wage workers in Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago. She also co-authored the first comprehensive study on transportation network companies in Los Angeles.

At the UCLA Labor Center, she is leading the expansion of the Labor Center’s workforce development area of work, with a focus on building a high road economy and prosperity for all through research, education, evaluation, and coalition and movement building. Dr. Gonzalez-Vasquez connects the Labor Center’s work to statewide systemic change initiatives making the workforce development system more accessible and easy to navigate for worker organizations serving marginalized communities in California. She has co-produced documents on the High Road Training Partnership (HRTP) initiative framework and model.

Most recently, Dr. Gonzalez-Vasquez was appointed to California’s Cradle-to-Career (C2C) Governing Board, where she will guide the strategic direction and implementation of the C2C data system and provide operational oversight. Prior to joining the UCLA Labor Center, Dr. Gonzalez-Vasquez was the Project Coordinator of the UC Irvine Community and Labor Project. At UCI, she conducted a wage theft study on low-wage workers in Orange County and was a lecturer at the Law School. Dr. Gonzalez-Vasquez earned a dual B.A. in Economics and Social Science with a Public and Community Service specialization and a minor in Spanish from UCI. She earned her Master’s and Ph.D. in Urban Planning from UCLA.