Ten Strands has announced its third summer hiring with the addition of Andra Yeghoian as its new chief innovation officer, bolstering the staff of California’s leading nonprofit focused on advancing the environmental literacy of K–12 students.
Yeghoian brings more than 15 years of experience in education across public and private school systems, nationally and internationally, and has been a force in environmental advocacy. She will spark environmental literacy with her whole systems approach – a holistic system that engages multiple components, including campus, curriculum, community, and culture, to make transformational change.
“I am excited to bring this whole systems approach to Ten Strands to support school communities across the state while integrating environmental and climate literacy and sustainable and climate-resilient school efforts,” Yeghoian said.
“By enacting a whole systems approach, I believe that Ten Strands will open up new opportunities for investments in programs and services that align stakeholders around high-impact leverage points that connect curriculum efforts across the state.”
Ten Strands has previously announced Roni Jones as its new director of curriculum and Jeffrey Dowling as its instructional designer, with each focusing on the new Climate Change and Environmental Justice Program (CCEJP) that will guide the creation of K–12 climate change and environmental justice resources.
Yeghoian previously served as the environmental literacy and sustainability coordinator at the San Mateo County Office of Education, providing leadership in implementing a broad Environmental Literacy and Sustainability Initiative across San Mateo County.
Yeghoian brings experience in a variety of educational roles, including: director of sustainability, secondary humanities teacher, project manager, professional development facilitator, adjunct faculty, and organizational consultant. Additionally, under her leadership, she has supported school sites, districts, and county offices in achieving honors such as the U.S. Department of Education and California Green Ribbon Award, Bay Area Green Business Certification, and LEED Platinum Certification for New Buildings.
Yeghoian is also the newly named project director of the California Environmental Literacy Initiative (CAELI), a key Ten Strands project, where she serves on the Leadership Council. She previously served as a CAELI co-chair and stepped down from the role after joining the Ten Strands team.
Throughout her career, Yeghoian has contributed impactful work to both Ten Strands and CAELI, including authoring an evaluation of the 2021 United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report.
“Andra is a shining star of environmental education who has the ability to disrupt standard practice and introduce new ideas that invite collaboration,” Ten Strands CEO Karen Cowe said. “Her arrival to Ten Strands is not only a boon for our organization but for the future of environmental literacy in California.”
