Josh Vasa
Joshua Vasa (born December 16, 1980 in Raleigh, North Carolina) is the director of operations for Blight Free Birmingham. He is also a singer and songwriter.
Vasa graduated from Hoover High School in 1999 and completed his bachelor of science at Birmingham-Southern College in 2003, then served the college as its interim director for multicultural affairs until 2004. He became a development manager for Kid One Transport in 2005, then a corporate support manager for Alabama Public Television in 2007.
As a musician, Vasa led the group "VASA" and currently performs as Sanyasi, a pet name given to him by his grandmother. He married Sidewalk executive director Chloe Cook in October 2018.
Vasa worked briefly as an account manager for the Solamar Agency before he was hired as festival director for the Sidewalk Moving Pictures Festival in 2012. In 2016 he was hired as director of operations for the McWane Science Center, and in April 2018 was hired as director of growth and strategy for Jones Valley Teaching Farm.
In 2019 Vasa began working as manager at Carrigan's Public House, then, during the COVID-19 pandemic, took charge of Birmingham Strong. He moved into his present position in June 2021.
Vasa ran for the Birmingham City Council District 3 seat in the 2025 Birmingham municipal election with the endorsement of long-time councilor Valeria Abbott. He identified "community engagement" as a key issue along with public safety, infrastructure, and quality schools.
References
- Hurley, Lee (n. d.) "Josh Vasa is trying to tell you something…" Thicket magazine
- Davidson, Chris K. (April 21, 2016) "'Either Way, You’re Telling a Story'". Weld for Birmingham
- "The Wedding We've All Been Waiting For" (January 2, 2019) B-Metro
- Crenshaw, Solomon Jr (August 28, 2024) "Vasa Announces Run for Birmingham Council’s District 3, Kick-Starts Municipal Election Season 2025." BirminghamWatch
External links
- Josh Vasa at Linkedin.com