The following bio is that of an event speaker or guest author. This person is not directly affiliated with the John Locke Foundation.

Dr. Stoops was formerly the director of the Center for Effective Education.

Before joining the Locke Foundation in 2005, he worked as the program assistant for the Child Welfare Education Programs at the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work. He taught English at Spotsylvania High School and served as an adjunct instructor in professional communication at the University of Mary Washington. During his doctoral studies, Stoops was a research assistant in the Department of Leadership, Foundations, and Policy at the University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development.  He is co-founder of Carolina Charter Academy, a public charter school located in Angier, North Carolina.  In 2021, he was appointed to the North Carolina Charter School Advisory Board by Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson.

Dr. Stoops earned a bachelor’s degree in speech communication from Clarion University and a master’s degree in Administrative and Policy Studies from the University of Pittsburgh School of Education. He earned a Ph.D. in Social Foundations of Education from the University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development.  He received a certificate in education finance from the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University.