Tricia Johnson had an early desire to become a teacher. She was specifically interested in science and outdoor education.  She attended Oregon State University where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Forest Management in 1975. Lured into the forest management field by her interest in forest practices in the Pacific Northwest, she worked as the reforestation forester for International Paper Company in their forests in Southwest Washington and Northwest Oregon.

After receiving a fellowship from the company to obtain her Masters degree in Forestry at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, she worked as a financial analyst for IP in New York City.  Leaving the company when they moved their corporate forestry operations, Tricia worked as the editor and writer for a newsletter on spreadsheet software, which led to a 13-year career as a computer consultant to small businesses.  In 1994, she was hired by one of her major clients as their Information Systems Director and worked there for 7 years. Tired of talking to computers, she decided to leave Information Systems and pursue her original goal to become an educator, taking advantage of Connecticut’s Accelerated Route to Certification program.

She has worked at Common Ground High School for the last 11 years where she has had a major role in directing and developing the science curriculum for this environmentally focused charter high school.

In the Fall of 2009 Tricia was selected as one of 16 teachers in the United States to participate in a new program on Education for Sustainable Development sponsored by the Fulbright Japan organization. She attended the ìBest Practices in ESDî conference in Portland, Oregon where teachers from the US and Japan shared their experiences teaching Sustainable Development. In March of 2010 Tricia was selected for the second round of this program, the Japan-U.S. Teacher Exchange Program for Education for Sustainable Development.  In this program, teachers from Japan came to the United States in late April to visit schools and organizations in various parts of the US (including New Haven), and US teachers will visit Japan in late June and early July, again to share their experiences teaching Sustainable Development.

Contact her by email at tjohnson@commongroundct.org