Founder and CEO, has over 25 years of nonprofit experience in a variety of capacities such as management, program development and grant writing.
A native of Dayton, Ohio and a graduate of Fort Valley State University, with a B.S. Degree in Agricultural Engineering Technology, Starks made his home in Atlanta in 1989.
He was employed with IBM for six years as a customer support team leader, however he soon realized his true passion and calling was working with high-risk youth. He resigned from IBM in 1994 and joined ranks with The Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta, where he enjoyed a distinguished 13-year career as the Director of Teen Services.
Starks resigned from the Boys & Girls Clubs in 2007, to pursue his passion as a social entrepreneur and spent two years field testing the book he co-authored entitled ‘12 Things Every Black Boys Needs to Know’.
Shortly thereafter, he accepted a position with Hearts to Nourish Hope, where he served in multiple capacities including revamping Hearts’ Evening Reporting Center and being the catalyst for launching Hearts’ independent living and transitional housing program called The D.O.R.M. (The Development of Responsible Men), in which he served as the director for six years.
Starks brings an intense level of passion, innovation, and leadership to Ujima Way, and his pioneering vision for the agency and his commitment to solve community ills, make him an ideal leader for the organization.