Freedom 4 Youth
Who I am
BIO
Dr. Billi Jo Starr is a researcher, educator, and executive leader working at the intersection of youth development, educational ecosystems, systems change, and community engagement. A Ronald E. McNair Scholar, she earned her Ph.D. in Education from University of California, Santa Barbara, where her research focused on supporting children with emotional and behavioral challenges in alternative and justice-involved educational settings.
Dr. Starr is the Co-Founder of Freedom 4 Youth, an organization built alongside young people impacted by the criminal legal system that grew into a $1M+ organization serving more than 5,000 youth and families through educational, workforce development, leadership, and community engagement initiatives. Over the past fifteen years, she has led cross-sector partnerships spanning higher education, nonprofit leadership, workforce development, and public systems transformation.
Her work integrates experiential learning, mixed-methods evaluation, curriculum design, implementation strategy, participatory leadership, and trauma-informed and healing-centered educational practices. Dr. Starr has taught at both University of California, Santa Barbara and Santa Barbara City College and currently lives in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York with her family.
Areas of Work
Educational Ecosystems & Program Design
Designing innovative educational, workforce development, and experiential learning initiatives that connect schools, universities, public agencies, community organizations, and alternative educational settings. Expertise includes curriculum development, implementation strategy, participatory learning models, and scalable educational program design across youth and adult learning environments.
Speaking, Consulting & Community Engagement
Available for keynote speaking, panel facilitation, guest lectures, trainings, educational consulting, and collaborative initiatives focused on youth development, educational systems, community engagement, leadership, restorative practices, workforce pathways, and systems transformation.
Leadership Development & Facilitation
Facilitating transformative learning experiences, trainings, workshops, and leadership development initiatives for educators, nonprofit leaders, students, community organizations, and cross-sector teams. Areas include systems thinking, restorative and healing-centered practices, communication, workforce readiness, experiential learning, and organizational leadership.
Cross-Sector Partnerships & Systems Strategy
Supporting organizations, institutions, and community initiatives in developing collaborative partnerships and long-term systems strategies across education, philanthropy, youth development, workforce development, behavioral health, and public systems. Experience includes multi-agency collaboration, university-community partnerships, strategic planning, and implementation support.
Philanthropic Partnership & Fundraising Strategy
Supporting nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and mission-driven initiatives in developing and stewarding philanthropic relationships, government partnerships, and foundation funding strategies. Experience includes grant writing and proposal development, donor cultivation and stewardship, multi-year funding strategy, impact reporting, and building the cross-sector relationships that translate mission into sustained investment.
Curriculum Development & Instructional Design
Developing learner-centered curriculum and educational programming for universities, adult education, workforce readiness, nonprofit organizations, and alternative educational settings. Courses and trainings have included leadership development, digital literacy, restorative practices, professional communication, career readiness, entrepreneurship, and community engagement.
Research, Evaluation & Grant Strategy
Supporting mission-driven organizations and educational initiatives through mixed-methods evaluation, program assessment, implementation strategy, grant development, and outcome measurement systems designed to strengthen impact, sustainability, and long-term growth.
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