For more than two decades, Larkin has led and supported complex organizations and programs focused on equitable results in the social sector. He is certified through the International Coaching Federation and Brown University, and has trained as a systems facilitator through the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Larkin has nearly 1,000 hours of experience coaching leaders in non-profit, public, and corporate systems – from small community-based organizations to Fortune 10 companies.

Prior to becoming a leadership coach, he founded MAYA, where he still serves as an executive advisor. MAYA is a Latina-owned and led firm that specializes in education, public sector, and non-profit consulting. 

Before MAYA, Larkin served as executive director and vice president of community at IDEA Public Schools in Austin, where he supported principals, led community engagement, and helped to raise more than $35 million in public and private funding. Larkin also served in the U.S. Department of Education as part of the Obama administration where he designed and launched Promise Neighborhoods. 

He began his career as a middle school social studies teacher in the Mississippi Delta with Teach for America, a program with a vision that one day, all children will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education. Larkin holds a Bachelor of Arts in politics and history from Brandeis University and an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin. 

Larkin lives in Austin with his wife, Katie. They have five children. He is President of Temple Beth Shalom and Vice Chair of the Board for the Center for the Study of Social Policy in Washington DC. Larkin is also a former foster parent and kidney donor (featured in Humans of New York). He has run nearly 40 marathons with the goal of completing a marathon in all 50 states and Washington D.C.

When Ben is not designing and updating this website, he is a sophomore at McCallum High School in Austin. He plays soccer for the McCallum team and is a huge soccer fan. Ben also enjoys geography, follows sports closely, and loves spending time with his family. He originally built this website not just to earn a laptop for school and gaming, but also to help his dad and learn more about web design along the way.