Stephanie Malia Krauss

Founder and Principal Consultant First Quarter Strategies

Senior Fellow, Education Northwest and CERES Institute for Children and Youth

Senior Advisor, Jobs for the Future

Stephanie Malia Krauss helps leaders design solutions that improve the economic well-being of young people and families—especially those living in poverty. She works with national, state and local changemakers to make sure everyone has the chance to experience quality learning and work opportunities and livable lives.

Previously, as a senior fellow with the Corporation for a Skilled Workforce, the Forum for Youth Investment, and JFF, she focused on youth readiness and well-being, credentialing, competency-based education, and opportunity youth. She was also campaign director of Connecting Credentials and co-director of The Readiness Project.

Stephanie also founded and led Shearwater Education Foundation, and the first competency-based high school for disconnected youth in St. Louis.

She started her career as an elementary school teacher and soccer coach in Phoenix, Arizona.

Stephanie staffs the Economic Well-Being work group of the Youth Transition Funders Group and is involved in the CASEL Collaborating States Initiative, the AIR Competency-Based Education Research Advisory Board, and the Partnership for the Future of Learning.

She has been a guest commentator on PBS NewsHour, StoryCorps, and public radio. She is the author of Making It: What Today’s Kids Need to be Ready for Tomorrow’s World (2021).

Stephanie and her husband, Evan, met in social work school and have been working for social change ever since. They live in the St. Louis area with their two boys and two dogs.

Books

Making It: What Today’s Kids Need to be Ready for Tomorrow’s World (2021)

Articles