Yukiyo Iida is a parent leader, educator, and community advocate. She is an immigrant from Japan, and her identity has been forged by her experiences living in and maneuvering through different cultural, linguistic, educational, and work settings in multiple countries.
Prior to joining National Parent Leadership Institute as the Special Programs Coordinator, Yukiyo spent more than a decade advocating for racial and educational equity with and for students as a public school teacher. Even with this experience as an educator, she realized that as a parent in the school setting, advocating for your own child required a different set of skills. Her parent leadership journey has been greatly strengthened by participating in Parent Leadership Training Institute in 2019. She continues to be engaged in PLTI as a Phase 1 Facilitator, a Civic Design Team member, 2022 Alumni Racial Equity Retreat planning and facilitation team member, and has represented PLTI on multiple panels in Connecticut and nationally about racial equity and parent leadership.
Yukiyo lives out her passion for education and advocacy in various ways. She is one of the founding members of the West Hartford Parent Community Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Groups, and works with families, educators, and local community organizations to identify issues of equity in the schools, and create tangible opportunities for networking, capacity building, and action. As the co-chair of the Connecticut Family School Partnership Advisory Council, she also works with families, educators, and community members from across the state to elevate family engagement practices and policies. Yukiyo is also an active board member of the Connecticut Anti-Defamation League.
Yukiyo lives with her awesome teenager and their mini dachshund, Miso, aptly named for his salty personality and beautiful red color.