Chris Boynton

About Chris Boynton

For the last decade, I have focused on integrated, interdisciplinary, and interagency strategies that promote social justice.I have work with non-traditional spaces for education, first in gardens and now in career pathways. I have found that when educators change where they teach, they change how they teach. The nexus provides the opportunity to build new pedagogical practices that better suit a more diverse set of students. Using gardens for the last decade and a half helped create a multi-district nutrition education program that both changed health behaviors and allowed teachers to explore new ways to create experiential classes that help with concept attainment.I began with creating of Project EAT ( Educate. Act. Thrive.) a funded program of the Network for a Healthy California, and Alameda County Office of Education. Over the past decade,Project EAT has grown from two to 45 schools and serves four districts and about students and parents. The program is based on a synthesis of public health and education reform research which has increased the consumption of fruits and vegetables and has doubled the number of minutes students are physically active. This is a small step toward the elimination of both the achievement gap and health disparities in our under resourced communities.Project EAT fed into Pathways to College and Career through a youth led research project funded by Public Health Institute. Profreshional Career Pathways ( Career pathways around Food) found some general principles for internships. These internships led to my work developing Pathways for a larger sector of careers for students. Currently, I am Executive Director for Pathways to College and Career which is a new interdepartmental, multidistrict, multi county, cross discipline approach to providing success to every student. I am working to ensure that every student has multiple opportunities to enter and renter pathways to career and college success.

Experience

1. Director

   Alameda County Office of Education

   Sep 2006 — Present

   Director of garden based nutrition education and physical activity program serving four school districts, 45 schools and about students. Manages 40 people in 5 departments and a budget of $4.2 million dollars of federal grant funding. Provides fund development, grant writing and collaboration building to accomplish the goals of the community.

Education

• University of California, Berkeley

  Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Educational Leadership and Administration, General

  2006 — 2011

• CSU Eastbay

  Master of Science (MS), Educational Leadership and Administration, General

  2001 — 2002

Skills

• Customer Service
• Project Management
• Program Development
• Garden Based Education
• Program Management
• Nonprofits
• Teacher Training
• Staff Development
• Workshop Facilitation
• Leadership
• Grant Writing
• Non-Profit Fund Development
• Collaboration
• English
• Curriculum Development
• Budgets
• Community Outreach
• Research
• Powerpoint
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Office
• Grants
• Fundraising
• Public Health
• Budget
• Microsoft Word
• Educational Leadership
• Public Speaking
• Teaching