A.J. Ernst is an education strategist and researcher whose expertise spans youth civic infrastructure, institutional design, and education policy. A Teach For America corps member and AmeriCorps alumnus, he has spent two decades building and leading institutions across the United States, Europe, and Asia. He teaches and researches student mattering at Rowan University, examining how institutions undermine wellbeing by deferring young people's sense of contribution. A Harvard Strategic Data Project Fellow and member of the World in 2050 Expert Network at Diplomatic Courier, he holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania.