Member Spotlight: Andrew Hawkins

Andrew Hawkins

Andrew Hawkins joined CITE in April 2025 as an Education Programs Specialist. A proud UCLA Bruin and AmeriCorps alum, Andrew has over a decade of experience designing, managing, and scaling high-impact educational and community-based initiatives across California. In recent roles, Andrew led large-scale reading initiatives and built operational systems to support data-driven decision-making at a national literacy based nonprofit. In his role as Education Programs Specialist at CITE, Andrew coordinates and supports professional learning opportunities for K–12 technologists statewide, with a primary focus on the Technology Management Advancement Program (TMAP). His work is rooted in community collaboration, inclusive leadership, and a passion for helping others grow through education.

What do you do in your limited free time?:

"Outside of work, you can find me traversing the beautiful land of the Kumeyaay in present-day San Diego, birding in my neighborhood parks, nurturing my backyard garden, or facilitating lively community reading experiences for families with young children."

What sparked your interest about working for CITE?

"In my previous role, I had the privilege of working closely with my organization's Systems Admin team, and although they were a small team, they were mighty in their impact! Their role was critical to ensuring systems ran smooth and team's had the resources to capture and track program wins. When I came across CITE, I saw it as an opportunity to further support children by bolstering the skills of IT staff in schools and equipping them with the support and resources to thrive in their roles, subsequently benefitting the entire learning community."

What excites you most about your new role here at CITE?

"I'm thrilled to work with an amazingly talented and efficient team within the Education Programs department! Everyone lends their own expertise to improve the quality of CITE's Education programs, and the team is encouraging of outside perspectives so I feel empowered to tap into my 10+ years of training facilitation and program design to offer a best-in-class learning experience for TMAP participants."

Are there any special shoutouts you'd like to give to someone in your life or the CITE Community who has made a special impact on you?

"My manager, Ailene Chang, has been a tremendous support during my short time on the team. She is an organization Queen and has curated resources for every scenario you can imagine. More importantly, she demonstrates an authentic commitment to running a high quality program that offers endless gifts to those who participate. Tough shoes to fill, if you ask me."