Joseph Stark

Joseph has over 20 years of experience and expertise in alternative, youth and adult education and workforce training with a focus on creating access and opportunity for historically marginalized populations in Los Angeles. He has served as a teacher, principal, and district leader. In addition, he has served in leadership roles on several local workforce boards and regional adult education consortia.

Prior to joining the New Ways to Work team, he served for six years as the Executive Director of Adult and Career Education in LAUSD overseeing all adult and career education schools, staff and apprenticeship programs, including responsibility for a division budget totaling over $155 million.

Joseph is a relational leader who engages team members in a human-centered-design approach in decision making and policy development. He is visionary, results-driven and practical with a record of effective collaboration with diverse stakeholder groups. He is a champion and practitioner of career technical education, integrated education and training, comprehensive college and career counseling strategies, apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship and innovative approaches to continuous program improvement and professional development of adult education staff.

Under his leadership in LAUSD, year-over-year adult education enrollment increased by 20% with student outcomes well above the state average. Also under his leadership, the Division of Adult and Career Education earned the largest federal award of adult education Workforce Innovation and Opportunity (WIOA) grant funds in the history of the district.

Joseph lives in View Park, California, with his partner Laura, his son, Joseph, and two dogs named Poochie and Scrappy.