Eric Yarwood
Eric J. Yarwood is the Executive Director of The Education Collaborative of WNY (EdCo). As Executive Director, he brings stakeholders from each partner school together along with community partners to fulfill the organization's mission: EdCo facilitates collaboration among educators, students, and community partners to learn, share, and connect to build a just and thriving future.
Eric holds a B.A. in history and a master’s degree in education. Prior to joining EdCo, he worked in the education field as a middle school social studies teacher in Columbus, OH and Phoenix, AZ. Eric returned to his hometown, Buffalo NY and joined EdCo (in 2011 as a technology integration specialist – helping teachers utilize technology in their classrooms.
Transitioning to Executive Director in 2017, Eric has led EdCo’s efforts in creating schools of belonging through the organizations’ diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative. His efforts in equity and inclusion were recognized in 2019 as a recipient of a Buffalo Business First IDEA Award. Eric’s commitment extends beyond his work at EdCo as he serves as a trustee on the board of Buffalo Prep. Most recently, Eric has led EdCo through a strategic planning process that has shifted the organization to focus on student programming and professional learning.