Ira Vihreälehto

Ira Vihreälehto is a cultural heritage professional, educator, and author with over two decades of experience advancing education, participation, and awareness in Finland and internationally. Since 2015, she has served as Executive Director and Senior Advisor at the Association of Finnish Cultural Heritage Education, where she has led more than 30 national and international projects. Her work combines creative placemaking, intergenerational learning, and digital tools for intangible cultural heritage, including the widely translated Spinner of Living Heritage (available in 14 languages).
Vihreälehto manages training programs for teachers, develops pedagogical resources such as Kulttuurin vuosikello—a digital heritage learning platform that reached over 116,000 users in 2024—and represents the association in multiple expert groups. She is also active in communication and outreach across media, from blogs to social platforms and educational video projects.

Alongside her leadership work, Vihreälehto is a non-fiction and textbook author and host of a TV series on Finland’s national broadcaster YLE1. Her contributions to cultural heritage were recognised with the Europa Nostra Grand Prix, the European Union’s most prestigious cultural heritage award, in 2018 for the project Kulttuurivoltti.
Before her current role, Vihreälehto spent nearly two decades as a teacher and teacher trainer, specialising in history, social studies, psychology, religion, and special education. She holds a Master’s degree in History from the University of Jyväskylä, with additional qualifications in special education, psychology teaching, principal training, and ADHD counselling.
She is an appointed expert in several national and European cultural heritage bodies, including the Finnish World Heritage National Coordination Group, the Living Heritage Expert Group (2018–2026), and the European Heritage Label Expert Group (2022–2026), nominated by Finland’s Ministry of Education and Culture.