Andrew Lakis joined the Robertson Scholars Leadership Program as Executive Director in March 2021. In 2004, Andrew joined Teach For America as a teacher at Friendship Public Charter School in Washington, D.C. A native of North Carolina, he worked as an instructional coach in Durham Public Schools and served in multiple leadership roles within Teach For America over the past decade. From 2015 to 2021, Andrew led Teach For America’s largest rural region, working with his team to recruit, train and support over 400 new teachers and partner with almost 1,000 alumni leaders working toward educational equity across eastern North Carolina. During his tenure as executive director, he also oversaw the launch of Teach For America’s first rural regional summer teaching institute, Eastern NC Residency, and the redesign of Teach For America-Eastern North Carolina’s leadership development program. Andrew received his BA in History from Duke University, where he was a Trinity Scholar, and his Masters in Elementary Education from American University.
Andrew is committed to strengthening community, expanding access for youth and addressing inequity. He currently serves on the PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School board, the North Carolina Education Human Capital Roundtable and is a member of the Racial Equity Institute’s Groundwater Leadership Basecamp. Formerly, he served as the chair of the Educator Preparation Program Accountability subcommittee as a member of North Carolina’s Professional Educator Preparation and Standards Commission. Andrew and his wife, Kristen, live in Durham with their two sons, Abe and Sam.