Andrea Chavez-Kopp
Andrea Chavez-Kopp, M.Ed., serves as the Assistant Director for Educational and Formation programs for the National Catholic Educational Association. Andrea began her career in education in 2000, teaching high school social studies. Early in her career she quickly was tapped to serve as the social studies department chair and student government advisor. In 2004, so left the classroom to start a family. After taking some time to be a stay-at-home mom, she transitioned into Youth and Young Adult Ministry but was soon called back to the classroom to teach middle school science and English in Panama City, Fla. In her last school, she was the coordinator for the 1:1 iPad program as well as the Google Apps for Education coordinator.
Andrea joined the staff of NCEA in 2015 after a chance encounter at the National Convention led to an interview and ultimately the decision to move from FL to the DC area. She has served in several capacitates within the organization. She takes a leading role in helping plan and select educational content for the national convention and other conferences. She has grown a small webinar program into a core professional development program that now engages over 8,000 attendees annually. She represents NCEA on several national committees, particularly with partners in Catholic ministry and other organizations where missions align. For example, she represents NCEA on an annual summer institute in partnership with the Anti-Defamation League to bring Catholic school teachers to Washington DC for a week to do an in-depth study of how to teach the Holocaust from an inter-faith perspective as well as facing contemporary issues of bias, prejudice, and bigotry in the classroom today. Andrea was also a leader in NCEA becoming involved in the OneDay against Hate movement during its inaugural year. She also works with organizations like the Religious Freedom Center at Newseum to help teachers be better prepared to teach the skills of civil dialogue as well as how to teach about religion in a constitutionally appropriate way.
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Andrea may be best known for her passion for innovation. She has spearheaded an exciting partnership with ISTE (International Society for Technology in Innovation) through Eduscape, to bring ISTE certification to Catholic educators. She is among the 1st in the country to be on her way to ISTE certification. She is also enrolled in a TedTalk Masterclass, another new offering available through ISTE. She presents around the country about meaningful technology integration for the classroom as well as helping bring knowledge of educational technology into ministry. You can see her present at ISTE this summer. Andrea is also part of a national network of Edcamp organizers and works with a team to bring CatholicEdCamp DMV to participants annually.
A life-long learner eager to experience a broader perspective of Catholic education, Andrea serves the NCEA members with enthusiasm and commitment. In her spare time, she enjoys connecting with other educators on Twitter through the weekly #CatholicEdChat and does freelance writing and blogging in between taking her boys to basketball and soccer practices.