NEWS RELEASE
(ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Virginia)—The Albemarle County School Board has chosen Josiah Black, a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law and a former director of admissions for the school, to be the division’s next School Division Counsel. Black succeeds Ross Holden, who announced in October that he would be retiring at the end of the year.
Black most recently was the Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel for Ark Behavioral Health in Boston, MA, where he was responsible for the health care company’s human resources and compliance activities, its governmental relationships, and advising senior executives on growth strategies.
As a member of the Superintendent’s Cabinet, Black will be a senior advisor to the school board, the superintendent, and the division’s leadership team on policy; litigation; legal documents; real estate transactions; compliance with county, state and federal regulations; human resource matters; and the hiring, when necessary, of outside counsel.
Prior to joining Ark Behavioral Health, Black was the deputy general counsel for Steward Health Care System, where he advised the executive leadership team and directed labor relations for 37 hospitals across the U.S. He also was the company’s lead negotiator for collective bargaining agreements with employees and conducted training sessions with human resources teams on compliance and employee relations.
“Mr. Black’s impressive credentials as a senior advisor to executives, his expertise with growth strategies and change management, and his focus on developing strong relationships between management and employees will be strong assets to our school community,” said Dr. Matthew Haas, the division’s superintendent. “Mr. Black’s wide range of experience and his thoughtful approach will be an important part of future decisions that bring our team closer together to meet such vital goals as thriving students,” Haas said.
The new school board attorney will be returning to a community that launched his professional career. Black is a graduate of UVA Law, where he served on the editorial board of the Virginia Environmental Law Journal. He later was the school’s director of admissions. Prior to his positions with Ark Behavioral Health and Steward Health Care Systems, Black was a partner with LeClair Ryan in Charlottesville, a law firm that specialized in startup and early stage companies in the technology field.
“Charlottesville always has been hallowed ground for me,” Black said. “With respect to the law, it remains on the leading edge of creativity, leadership, and public service. I am incredibly appreciative of the foundation that my UVA education provided in building my career path and of the opportunity I now have to help build a foundation for the future success each year of thousands of K-12 students in Albemarle County,” he added.
His leadership experience also includes serving as a founder and managing partner of a law firm, chairing the Northeast Human Resources Association and the Town of Wellesley’s Human Resources Board, and serving pro bono as Chief Legal Counsel for Lighthouse Studio in Charlottesville.
Black’s selection was approved by the school board during their meeting on November 10. Black will formally join the division this Friday, December 1.
Pictured: Josiah Black
CONTACT: Phil Giaramita, Public Affairs & Strategic Communications Officer
PHONE: 434-972-4049