Andrea Chen: Looking Forward

Andrea Chen is the Executive Director and Co-founder of Social Entrepreneurs of New Orleans – a local nonprofit that supports creative problem solvers advancing great ideas for social change. Through the New Ventures Accelerator, SENO is excited to support promising early-stage social entrepreneurs in 2011 working to solve problems in the areas of blight, transportation/infrastructure, education, and food systems. SENO’s signature annual event is PitchNOLA, a city-wide pitch competition to build the pipeline of talented individuals who are taking on New Orleans’ social problems.

After graduating from Stanford University, Andrea came to New Orleans with Teach for America—a national organization that places teachers in low-performing public schools—and became an English teacher at John McDonogh High School. She has since started a literacy-related venture, trained new teachers, and developed programs for the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools.

Andrea’s definition of “Vision” is the ability to maintain a sense of possibility, imagine a different future, and understand diverse realities and perspectives.

She was born in Vancouver, British Columbia and has considered New Orleans her hometown for the past seven years. She has been wearing glasses since the 1st grade when she first learned to read.