Meet the Staff: Rosie Ayala

Rosie Ayala serves as the Tacoma College Support Network Manager at the Foundation for Tacoma Students. Joining the Foundation in March of 2020, Rosie’s professional background ranges from direct service with youth both within the collegiate level as well as the K-12 system, government work, and non-profit administration. In addition to her role at the Foundation, Rosie also serves as the Vice-Chair for the Tacoma Arts Commission; she truly believes art forms are a powerful tool in the lives of youth and adults alike.

Rosie is a California Chicana, daughter of immigrant farmworkers, the first in her family to attend college and receive a professional degree.  Tacoma has been home for a number of years to Rosie and her family (husband, adopted adult child, cat, and dog). She lived in Oregon while attending Lewis & Clark College and later earned her masters degree from Seattle University in Systemic Organizational Leadership Development & Design.

Rosie occasionally travels back to California to visit her parents, brother, niece, and nephew as well as extended family.  She enjoys cooking, van camping, and most recently picked up pickleball as a hobby.