Avanti K. Yamamoto, M.Ed., NBCT
Avanti K. Yamamoto is an award-winning educator, instructional leader, and advocate for teacher excellence. She currently serves as a school administrator in Virginia, where she leads efforts in instructional improvement, school culture, and student belonging.
Named the 2025 Virginia Teacher of the Year and a member of the Council of Chief State School Officers National Teacher of the Year Program, Avanti has dedicated her career to ensuring that all students have access to high-quality learning experiences. Prior to entering administration, she taught secondary mathematics for more than a decade and served as Mathematics Department Leader at Atlee High School.
Avanti is a National Board Certified Teacher in Adolescence and Young Adulthood Mathematics and holds a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from James Madison University. She is an active advocate for the teaching profession, having provided testimony before the Virginia Senate, participated in national education policy discussions on Capitol Hill, and mentored teachers across the Commonwealth.
As a speaker, Avanti has presented at state, national, and international conferences on topics including instructional leadership, teacher development, student belonging, and mathematics education. Drawing on her experiences as the daughter of Indian immigrants and as an educator committed to ensuring every child feels they belong, she believes that meaningful educational transformation begins with investing in teachers and creating systems where all learners can thrive.
In her role as Advisor for Global Education Initiatives with Porta Strategies, Avanti brings expertise in teacher development, instructional systems, leadership capacity building, and educational change to support high-quality outcomes for students and communities around the world.