New Board Chair Julie Stark Looks Ahead

Julie Stark M.Ed., CPCC is the new Board Chair of The Chicago Lighthouse. A board member since 2007, Julie has gotten to know The Lighthouse from the inside, serving on committees which oversee the agency’s social services, enterprises, clinical services, and has been Vice Chair since 2023. Elected Chair of the Board of Trustees in June, Julie will draw upon the knowledge she has gained about the organization to guide her through the three-year leadership term.  

Julie also hopes to use her experience as Owner and Managing Director of The Stark Solution, a corporate talent strategy and executive coaching firm, to help The Lighthouse raise its profile as one of the city’s best places to work. “I know from my own professional background how providing opportunities for people to grow in their jobs can make all the difference in an agency’s ability to expand and thrive,” she says. 

In this brief Q&A, Julie outlines how she views her role as Board Chair and her goals for her three-year term. 

How would you describe your role as Board Chair? 

I consider the board to be a group of stewards who watch out for the welfare of the entire Lighthouse as an agency, but also for all its people. So, I guess that means the Board Chair is a “steward of the stewards.” It’s making sure that we do our work with integrity to support the agency’s productivity and service excellence while keeping our eyes on the North Star.  

I want The Lighthouse to continue to expand our range of services to serve the ever-increasing number of people who need us. This means ensuring not only our fiscal sustainability but also forwarding our strategy for a strong and innovative future. That also means supporting and advocating for the CEO and her vision. 

Do you have any particular projects you’d like to see completed during your term? 

One of the things is to attract more businesses to work with us and to attract more donors to support us. To do this, we need to be more visible. I think the “Lighting Up Human Potential” campaign will help us do that. I want to continue what former board chair Dr. Deutsch and Dr. Szlyk have started and to expand it to make sure that people see us more broadly and access our message more often.  

The other thing that has been on my mind is the use of artificial intelligence in our contact centers. I think there are ways that we can utilize AI to really help us attract new partners. We’re already starting to use it for efficiency—while making sure that we’re not replacing our people who need the work. But I’m really interested in seeing how we can also leverage it for sales.  

All board members have their unique experiences about what brought them to The Lighthouse. What experiences do you have and how might they impact your work as Chair? 

I came to The Lighthouse over 30 years ago as a patient of Dr. Alfred Rosenbloom. Our clinical services are our signature gateway, and I think anybody that knows what that experience is like knows the depth of care and support we provide.  

So how does that affect me as a board chair? I think it gives me a very strong heart from an advocate standpoint. I think it keeps my eye on the right prize, which is how we serve. As trustees we should be focused on our sustainability, but always with our eye on the people we are serving: our clients, our employees, our business partners, our stakeholders…all of them. With my perspective as a patient, businessperson, and agency advocate I hope to be the best steward I can be.