Joe Bush is the Chief of Youth & Family Engagement at BMEA. With years of experience as a dedicated leader in Black male development and youth mentorship, he has built a career around a simple conviction: student leadership and workforce readiness are built through instruction that reflects who students actually are.

 

Bush began his career as a middle school educator in Detroit, where he developed a passion for empowering students through mentorship and instruction rooted in their lived experience. He stewards BMEA's Youth Leadership Development Program (YLDP), the organization's flagship educator pipeline. Under his leadership, YLDP guides high school young men through a structured, multi-year progression, from paid academic mentor to Site Coordinator Intern to certified classroom teacher, closing the gap in the national teaching workforce, where fewer than 1.3% of educators are Black males. This is the direct mechanism through which BMEA diversifies and strengthens the educator pipeline for the most resilient communities. 

 

Bush holds a Bachelor of Science in Early Elementary Education from Wayne State University, where he remains a proud Warrior and a committed advocate for educational equity and youth empowerment. He is dedicated to developing the next generation of educators, leaders, and changemakers. Above all, he takes immense pride in being a devoted father to his daughter, embracing fatherhood with the same passion and dedication he brings to his work in education and mentorship.