Biography of Dr. Sroka

Stephen R. Sroka, Ph.D.
Steve grew up in poverty in a housing project in a single parent family. His third grade report card read, “Parent notified boy is retarded.” In the ninth grade, after being involved in a school fight, he had two hip operations and was told that he may never walk again. The doctor told him he better start to listen to his teachers. And, as he tells students today, the more he listened, the smarter the teachers became.

Education was the only way out of the ghetto for Steve. When he graduated from high school, he worked full-time to get his family off welfare before entering college. His childhood offered unique challenges that helped him become a better educator.

Today, Dr. Stephen Sroka is an internationally recognized motivational speaker, trainer, author, teacher, professor and consultant. He often presents about at-risk youth, alternative education, reluctant learners, dropout prevention, brain based education, teaching to the whole child, character education, school safety, parenting and all hazards emergency planning for schools and communities, including H1N1.

He is an Adjunct Assistant Professor, School of Medicine, Division of Adolescent Health, Case Western Reserve University, a former Adjunct Associate Professor of Health Education at Cleveland State University and President of his company, Health Education Consultants. He has worked in schools (K-12) worldwide for over 30 years, including several school systems with high profile shootings. He retired as a teacher and member of a crisis response team from the Cleveland Public Schools. He is married and has four daughters and two grandsons.

He has spoken thousands of times in schools (K-12), as well as in hospitals, colleges, churches, Indian reservations, clinics, and various community settings. He often speaks to youth in schools, and at youth leadership summits. He has worked extensively with Native Americans. He has served as a consultant to the Centers for Disease Control, and was chosen as an Expert in Residence for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation three times

He has made hundreds of professional presentations. He has keynoted many national and international conferences, including, the TeachME Excellence in Education Conference, in Dubai. He has also presented internationally in Trinidad, Calgary, Montreal, Winnipeg, Toronto, London, Zurich, St. Croix, Guam, Honolulu, Hilo, Guatemala City, and the Cayman Islands.

He was invited to the President’s White House Conference on School Safety, and has keynoted the DEA Red Ribbon Week Campaign Kick-Off Ceremonies in Washington. He recently keynoted the First International Swine Flu Conference in Washington, DC, and was featured on C-SPAN.

Organizations, which have invited him to keynote or be a featured speaker for their national/international conferences, include: AAFCS, AAIE, AASA, ASCD, DARE, DEA, IATDP, NAASBMA, NAEHCY, NAREN, NASN, NASRO, NASSP, NCPC, NDPN, NISBA, NMSA, NYAR, PTA, SSAC, SSWAA, UNITY, US Dept of Ed- Office of Indian Education, and YCWA.

He has authored a dozen books and over 30 articles. His Educator’s Guide to HIV/AIDS and other STD’s (1st edition in 1984 and now in its 57th printing) is recommended by the U.S. Department of Education, and by former Surgeon General Koop who has personally commended Dr. Sroka for his “pioneering efforts to educate the nation’s school-age populations.” His prophetic article, “It Takes a Child to Raze a Village: Proficiency or Reality Testing?” was written before Columbine. After recently keynoting an international education conference in Dubai, he wrote the article, “Getting to the Heart of Education: Listening to the Whole Child.”

His innovative strategies, such as Teaching to a T, to reach reluctant learners, as well as, well-trained professionals, have been warmly received in the trenches of poverty, as well in the towers of academia, and often are front-page stories in the media.

Dr. Sroka’s spirited presentations stressing the importance of “Just Say Know” and “The Power of One” have resulted in guest appearances on many TV programs, including the Oprah Winfrey Show, as well as coverage in many newspapers including USA Today.

His messages include:
• Safe and healthy kids and adults learn more and live better
• Getting to the heart of education by listening to the whole person
• The Power of One- how one person can Make a Difference

Dr. Sroka received the Outstanding School Health Educator Award from the American School Health Association, was selected the Walt Disney Outstanding Health Teacher of the Year, and was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame. But his most meaningful “award” was his six-year-old daughter telling him that he was smarter than the cartoon character, Inspector Gadget. Obviously, his wife does not agree.

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