Tanya Klinkhachorn

Chief People Officer

About – Tanya Klinkhachorn

Tanya Klinkhachorn is the youngest daughter of Thai immigrants. She grew up in a small college town in West Virginia, and though she misses the mountains, Chicago has been home since 2009 when Tanya moved to teach in the Chicago Public Schools through Teach For America. Tanya currently serves as the Chief People Officer at Noble. Since joining Noble in 2017, Tanya has held various roles within the People Team. In her tenure at Noble, she has implemented Noble’s salary schedule, created the Distinguished Teacher program, co-launched the Diverse Leaders Fellowship, and led the recruitment and hiring of teachers and leaders. Previously, Tanya served as a biology teacher and science department chair at Uplift Community High School in the Chicago Public Schools and was a management consultant for Bain & Company. Tanya has a B.S. in biomedical engineering from Yale University, a M.A.T. in secondary education from National Louis University, an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and a Masters in Educational Leadership from her participation in the Broad Residency in Urban Education. Tanya loves all things outdoors but is also known for binge-watching reality tv like a pro.

Why do you work at Noble?

There are so many reasons why I work at Noble. On a personal note, I am committed to improving public education and breaking down barriers and systems that negatively impact children of color in our country. I come from a family of educators, and I know that every experience a child has at school has the ability to fundamentally shape their life trajectory. On a professional note, I have had the opportunity to work for or collaborate with a number of educational organizations over my career, and I strongly believe that Noble is the best place to work in education. We are not perfect by any means, but we have the humility and awareness to admit that. When we identify a problem, we tackle it, knowing that we are always wanting to improve in pursuit of our mission.

Who was your favorite teacher while growing up?

I have two favorite teachers, and while they were like night and day in most ways, what they had in common is why I remember them dearly to this day. They each held an incredibly high bar of excellence and pushed me to be my best. While I found them to be intimidating or unreasonable at times, they always supported me and helped me grow into my own as a young adult. In their classes, I learned how to think critically, how to persist, and that I could do really hard things.

Favorite thing about Noble or favorite Noble moment?

My favorite Noble moment was the day we announced the first cohort of Distinguished Teachers. As the person responsible for designing and implementing this recognition, this day marked a professional achievement that I am really proud of. More importantly, though, this day was about celebrating excellence in teaching at Noble and the impact that teachers can have on students’ lives. I will never forget the excitement of both the teachers and their students when we surprised them in the classrooms with silly balloons, lots of noise, and loved ones.

What do you/your department do at Noble?

The People Team is responsible for the hiring, happiness, and support of the 1,700 incredible educators and staff at Noble. Operationally, the People Team is a team of 20+ people across 3 departments: Talent, Employee Engagement, and Human Resources.

Start at Noble?

2017

Hometown:

Education:

Yale University (Bachelors of Science in Biomedical Engineering)

Wharton School – University of Pennsylvania (Masters in Business Administration)

National Louis University (Masters of Arts in Teaching)

Broad Residency in Urban Education (Masters in Educational Leadership)