Dr. Geneva Stark is the Director of the Nystrand Center of Excellence in Education (NCEE) and Clinical Assistant Professor in Educational Leadership, Evaluation and Organizational Development (ELEOD) since March 16, 2020.
Dr. Geneva Stark came to us from Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) where she most recently served as a Diversity Equity and Poverty Administrator. Prior to this role, Dr. Stark served in JCPS as the District Coordinator and Human Resource Administrator, principal, and assistant principal. In addition, Dr. Stark was a Kentucky Association of School Administrators’ Superintendent Fellow. Dr. Stark is a noted educator, thought-leader, and frequent presenter on race, equity, and implicit bias. Her community leadership is also impressive. She serves on the National Alliance of Black School Educators Elections and Nominations Committee, Generation WOW member and leader, member of the League of Women Voters and is the former president of the Greater Louisville Alliance of Black School Educators. Dr. Stark holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy from the University of Louisville.
Dr. Stark's work in the NCEE is vital to the CEHD, UofL, P-12 school partnerships, and our community. Dr. Stark’s leadership role involves working with the University, faculty, staff, students, and our community and school partners. Dr. Stark’s expertise and energies will is devoted to CEHD's priority emphases in Signature Partnership Initiative schools and West Louisville community engagement in collaboration with UofL's Office of Community Engagement and Interim Vice President Dr. Douglas Craddock and Dr. Henry Cunningham.
Dr. Stark has served as a mentor to students, teachers, support staff and administrators in JCPS, locally, statewide and nationally. Dr. Stark, is a “TRUE CHAMPION” for Education and is looking forward to leveraging her knowledge, experiences as a K-12 educator, collaborator, motivator, team builder and diversity consultant to focus on taking the Nystrand Center of Excellence in Education to the next level.
The 2023 Nystrand-Offutt Scholar is Dr. Kate Ariemma Marin, Assistant Professor in the Department of Elementary, Middle and Secondary Teacher Education. She was selected for her project, “Next Generation Mathematics Teacher Education Practices (Next Gen MTEP).” This project investigates generational differences in pre-service teachers and teacher education practices specifically designed to support Generation Z. The results of the study and the successful mathematics teacher education practices will be disseminated through presentations, research journals, and practitioner journals.
The Nystrand-Offutt Scholar is supported by Nancy and George Stablein through the Offutt funds named for Nancy’s parents. The Nystrand-Offutt Scholar is an early career faculty member engaged in research related to the Nystrand Center's work. The funds provide time for the Scholar to conduct research during the spring semester, analyze data and write during the summer, and travel to present about the work at a national conference during the following year. Applications are accepted each fall.
In 1987 the Center for the Collaborative Advancement of the Teaching Profession was established by the Kentucky Council on Higher Education, with support from the Governor and the General Assembly, as a result of a joint application by the University of Louisville and Jefferson County Public Schools. With the approval of the Council on Postsecondary Education and the UofL Board of Trustees, the Center was renamed the Raphael O. Nystrand Center of Excellence in Education on September 27, 1999, in honor of Dean Nystrand, who led the School of Education from 1978 until his death in May 1999.
The purpose of this Center, which is one of five Commonwealth Centers of Excellence and the only one in education, is to develop, implement and study collaborative efforts to improve teaching.
The Nystrand Center is grateful to all those who make its work and vision possible, and who support our ability to maintain the legacy of former Dean Ray Nystrand, for whom the Center is named.
Transformation through Collaboration: The Nystrand Center of Excellence in Education is dedicated to the continual support of educational excellence for all students made possible through innovative thinking, transformational educator preparation, professional development, and supportive learning environments.
The Director of the Nystrand Center is Dr. Geneva Stark. The Center currently has a number of special initiatives under its umbrella that are led by faculty from across the CEHD.
For more information about the Center, or its projects, e-mail nystrand@louisville.edu, or call 502-852-3408.