Cindy Johanson

For over 35 years, Cindy has led the design and growth of digital education services. As Executive Director of the George Lucas Educational Foundation since 2010, she leads the organization behind Edutopia — a leading resource for K-12 educators on what works in schools — and Lucas Learning, which is developing project-based learning simulation exemplars for students.

Before joining the Foundation, Cindy was Senior Vice President of Interactive and Education at PBS, where she led the launch and growth of pbs.org, pbskids.org, pbsparents.org, and related education resources. Her work in online learning goes back to 1989, when she managed teacher support for Learning Link, an early K-12 online service, and co-launched a National Teacher Training Institute for Science, Math, and Technology — all in the era of text-based interfaces and 300 baud modems.

Cindy currently serves on the Marin County Office of Education board and has previously served on the boards of various education nonprofits. She holds a master’s degree from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a bachelor’s degree in communications from Ohio University.