NAME

Robyn Vatter 

ROLE

Communications Manager

BIO

Robyn brings to Leanlab Education seven years of nonprofit communications experience in education and workforce development. Most recently, she was the Assistant Director of Communications, Digital Communications at Lakeside School, an independent 5-12 school in Seattle, Washington. Prior to that, she served as Communications Specialist at Seattle Jobs Initiative, a workforce development intermediary focused on creating equitable workforce systems through local career programs, public policy research, and national consulting with the USDA’s SNAP to Skills program. 

Before coming to nonprofit communications, Robyn taught elementary and high school students in Chuuk, Micronesia. She also lived and worked in Yellowstone National Park, including volunteering with the Parks Service. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Richmond in international economics and French.

WHY I GRAVITATE TOWARDS THIS WORK…

I was drawn to this work because I believe education plays a foundational role in creating equitable systems in our society. Raised by two former educators, I have been surrounded by teachers, administrators, and education policy makers since a young age and have a deep appreciation for public education. I enjoy working at the intersection of education, technology, and research and using my communications role to frame and amplify progress and learnings.  

Most recently, supporting high school students in an advisor capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic, I realized how disconnected students can feel from choices being made in schools that ultimately affect them. When joining Leanlab, I was particularly interested in Leanlab’s codesign framework and the focus on incorporating student and teacher voice in edtech product development. The codesign research process helps center equity from the start. It’s also a thrilling time to be working with edtech research as major developments are occurring and schools are focused on thoughtfully adopting new technologies. 

FUN FACT

I am an avid reader of cheesy mystery novels and love to go camping every weekend that weather permits.