A WestEd staff member since 1989, Gary D. Estes currently serves as Chief Program Officer (CPO) and Director of the Regional Educational Laboratory West. Estes' leadership and overall management of program operations has led to hundreds of high-quality products and services that have benefited school, district, and state administrators, teachers, students, and youth in various areas of education and human development.

Estes' work contributed to the development of WestEd's Assessment and Standards Development Services (ASDS), a program which plans, develops, implements, and evaluates standards and assessment tools, methods, and systems. Currently, 15 states nationwide call on ASDS for assessment development assistance. Estes also initiated WestEd’s technical assistance centers which support states and districts in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah with their reform efforts.

Estes has over 35 years experience in education. Prior to joining WestEd, Estes directed the Evaluation and Assessment Program and the Title I/Chapter 1 Technical Assistance Centers (TAC) at the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL). There, he conducted studies on item banking, criterion-referenced testing, and directed education and industry assessment projects. The TAC developed a school improvement model that was used in many of the districts across more than 13 states. He also developed a data system for tracking NWREL’s institutional professional activities and obtaining client evaluations of agency work.

Prior to his work at NWREL, Estes served as District Evaluation Supervisor with the Union High School System in Phoenix, Arizona. There he developed assessment systems for evaluating English and native language proficiency of English learners, student writing, and conducted research on the effectiveness of the district's Title I, bilingual, migrant, Indian Education, and Special Education programs. Estes also was an adjunct member of the Educational Psychology faculty teaching statistics and measurement at Arizona State University, Tempe; a psychometrist in several school districts; and a math and Title I teacher.

Estes received a BS in mathematics from Grand Canyon College, an MA in secondary education and mathematics, and a PhD in educational psychology — both from Arizona State University.