Stephanie Malia Krauss

Stephanie Malia Krauss is a mom of two boys with a background in education and social work. About a decade ago, she left education because she was worried that earning a high school diploma was not the same thing as being ready for adult life. Since then, she has been on a mission to figure out what kids really need to be ready for adulthood.

Stephanie is the author of Making It: What Today's Kids Need for Tomorrow's World, as well as a senior director at Jobs for the Future and a staff consultant for the Youth Transition Funders Group.

When Stephanie is not raising kids and writing, she is helping leaders across the US to design solutions that improve the economic well-being of young people and families—especially those living in poverty.

Stephanie was previously a senior fellow with the Corporation for a Skilled Workforce, the Forum for Youth Investment, and JFF. She was the national campaign director of Connecting Credentials and codirector of The Readiness Project. Stephanie previously founded and led Shearwater Education Foundation, which operated the first competency-based high school for opportunity youth in St. Louis.

Stephanie started out as an elementary school teacher and soccer coach in Phoenix, Arizona. She has been a guest commentator on PBS NewsHour, StoryCorps, and public radio.