Joe Ableidinger

Joe Ableidinger is the Executive Director of SparkNC, a transformative new TIP initiative that will accelerate learner progress along pathways to careers in high-tech fields. Joe is a nationally-recognized leader in education innovation, with expertise in personalized learning, emerging technologies in education, and advanced teaching roles. 

Prior to leading SparkNC, Joe served as Acting CEO of The Innovation Project (TIP) and as TIP’s Vice President for Innovation and Strategy. He led the organization’s strategic initiatives and helped TIP’s member superintendents “see around corners,” anticipating major challenges in education and designing programs and policies to proactively address them. 

Before joining TIP, Joe was the Senior Director of Policy & Programs at the Public School Forum of North Carolina, where he created the North Carolina Resilience & Learning Project and coordinated the North Carolina Education Policy Fellowship Program. Prior to that, Joe worked at Public Impact, a leading national education policy and management organization based in Chapel Hill, NC. Earlier in his career, Joe taught high-school English with the Fulbright Program in Korea and started a family resource center at an underperforming elementary school as an AmeriCorps VISTA member with Communities In Schools of Durham.

Joe has served as a strategic advisor to schools, philanthropic foundations, government agencies, and education-focused nonprofit organizations. He has authored or co-authored numerous publications at the intersection of law, policy, and practice. Joe holds a bachelor’s degree with highest honors from Duke University, a master’s degree in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and a law degree with honors from Harvard Law School.