Fish Stark is the newly appointed Executive Director of the American Humanist Association (AHA). A lifelong humanist and the son of Rep. Pete Stark, the first openly non-theist member of the U.S. Congress, Fish brings to the role his extensive experience in leadership roles across various sectors, including non-profits, educational technology start-ups, and political campaigns.
Before joining the AHA, Fish was the Head of Program and Curriculum at Legends, an educational technology start up, where he led teams to develop products focused on building children's self-confidence, mental health, and critical thinking skills. He also served as the Director of Programs at Peace First, a global non-profit that empowers youth activists worldwide. His work there involved leading a global team that supported thousands of young leaders across over 140 countries and partnering with organisations such as the Red Cross and Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation to develop youth leadership programmes.
Fish holds a Master’s degree in Education, focusing on child development and psychology from Harvard University, and a Bachelor's degree from Yale University with a certificate in Education Studies. While at Yale, he was a student board member of the Yale Humanist Community and received recognition for his work building relationships between Yale and the local community in New Haven.
In addition to his professional roles, Fish is active in his local community in Annapolis, Maryland, serving as President of the Speaker Mike Busch District 30 Democratic Club and being involved in several non-profit boards. He is also an award-winning stand-up comedian who has performed in multiple states across the U.S.
Answering a question at the AHA Annual Conference about the origin of his name, Fish explained that his given name was Fortney Hillman Stark III – a name which he found somewhat embarrassing as a child. Playing around with the letters FHS gave him the idea of renaming himself as Fish. The name stuck.
Sources: American Humanist Association, 2024 AHA Annual Conference.
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