Our History

The founding of the Stark Education Partnership was announced on July 13, 1989, by Richard A. Gulling, the organization’s first chairman. Known then as The Education Enhancement Partnership, the new Partnership represented the spirit of Stark County’s leadership in responding to a clear need identified in two studies in the late 1980’s. The data revealed that while districts were high performing for their design, they needed additional community support to meet the challenges of the 21st century. The Timken, Hoover, Deuble, and the Stark Community Foundations endowed the organization insuring that it would serve the community as long as needed.

Now, over more than three decades in existence, SEP has evolved as needs have evolved, from a focus on teachers to a focus on building generations of successful individuals with roots in Stark County. However, its role remains the same: SEP is a connector, a catalyst, a collaborator, and a researcher, passionately focused on improving outcomes of students and the community.