Staff: Mandy Pearson

Prior to joining Friends Central Oregon, Mandy was a math & science teacher for 7 years. She has a passion for helping youth expand their knowledge, skills and wonder about the world.

In 2015, Mandy earned her M.Ed. in Secondary Mathematics & Biology at the University of Oregon. She started her first teaching job as a math & science teacher at Prairie Mountain k-8th in Eugene, Oregon, where she taught a farm science class that successfully created a school garden that is still in use today. In 2017 she moved to Bend to teach 8th grade science at Pacific Crest Middle School. In 2022 she took a break from teaching and found herself mixing dough at Sparrow Bakery, ski instructing at Mt. Bachelor, and substitute teaching because she couldn’t bear to leave her students. In a strike of luck, she saw a job posting for Friends and quickly learned that this was the program she had dreamed about her entire career. A way to make real change in the lives of the students she saw struggle in her classroom each day. She is passionate about making education exciting, hands on, accessible, and lifelong. Mandy is thrilled to be in the position where she can make a substantial difference in the education and futures of our youth and support the Friends of Central Oregon mission.

From Hood River, Oregon, Mandy is an outdoor enthusiast and crafter. In her free time, she loves to make incredible sourdough pizza, decadent cakes, and knitted hats. She is often out backpacking, skiing, or paddleboarding with her husband, Kyle, and energetic mini Aussie mix, Pep.