Fish Stark

Fish Stark

AHA Executive Director

Pronouns: he/him
Email: fstark@americanhumanist.org
Location: Washington, DC

Fish Stark is an organizer, educator, social entrepreneur, and lifelong humanist. Fish has spent his career turning big ideas into bold action in service of belonging, flourishing, and social justice for all people.

Prior to joining the AHA as Executive Director, Fish was the Head of Program + Curriculum at Legends, an educational technology startup, where he led research and implementation teams to create products that helped children build self-confidence, positive mental health, and critical thinking skills.

Previously, Fish served as the Director of Programs at Peace First, a global nonprofit that provides training and funding to youth social justice activists, where he led a global team of organizers who empowered thousands of youth grantees in 140+ countries to make lasting change in their communities, and worked with organizations such as the Red Cross and Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation to develop youth leadership programs.

Fish’s other professional experiences include managing progressive political campaigns, leading a mentorship program in the West Virginia coalfields with the American Friends Service Committee, building a nationally recognized peer-to-peer bullying prevention program, and teaching students from pre-school to high school.

A self-proclaimed developmental psychology nerd who is passionate about giving everyone the tools to live lives of meaning, service, and self-determination, Fish holds a Master’s in Education with a concentration in child development and psychology from Harvard University, and a Bachelor’s from Yale University with a certificate in Education Studies. While at Yale, Fish served as a student board member of the Yale Humanist Community and received a Dean’s Prize for his work to build a stronger relationship between Yale and New Haven.

Fish lives in Annapolis, Maryland, where he is President of the Speaker Mike Busch District 30 Democratic Club, is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis, and serves on several nonprofit boards. He moonlights as an award-winning stand-up comedian and has performed in 13 states.

Honorarium Terms

AHA staff do not normally accept honorariums for speaking engagements. Instead, we encourage groups to contribute to the AHA. Compensation for travel, however, is required.

Speaking Interests

  • What Is Humanism/Why Be A Humanist?
  • We Are The Moral Majority: Data Shows Humanist Ideas Aren’t So Niche After All
  • Humanists Move America: How & Why Humanist Ideas Have Powered American Social Innovation
  • Humanist Parenting: Lessons From Developmental Psychology for How to Raise Kids Who Believe in Themselves + Change the World
  • As For Me And My House, We Will Serve Humanity: How to Shout Your Humanism
  • Divine Wrongs: Why The Religious Right Is Even More Terrifying – and Beatable – Than We Think
  • Running for Office (as a Humanist!)
  • Future of Humanism: How, & Why, Our Movement Will Grow
  • What’s So Funny About Humanism? (Humanist Stand-Up Comedy)