Community driven

Educator. Business owner. Community advocate. Philanthropist. Josh Stucky wears many hats.

His life today is a far cry from his early days growing up in the small farming community of South Charleston, Ohio, and being a student at Wright State University in the mid- to late-1980s.

As the son of a college professor and a librarian, Stucky learned the importance of education from an early age.

When he and his father began visiting college campuses, Wright State was one of their stops. The Creative Arts Center was the first building they entered on campus.

“There was something that drew me to that energy,” recalled Stucky, who knew he wanted to be an educator but was also interested in theatre.

Stucky was immediately attracted to the diverse mix of people he saw in the Wright State community.

“Everybody was themselves on campus,” he said.

A visit to the education department solidified that he was not only on the right campus, but on the best career path for him.

“I knew right away,” he said. “The minute I set foot in the education department, I knew this was what I wanted to do.”

Josh Stucky ’89 turned his Wright State experience into a lifetime of teaching, community service and giving back. (Photos by Erin Pence / video by Kris Sproles)

As Stucky pursued his dream of teaching elementary school, he became friends with a group of student dancers, actors and teachers. They ended up living together in a house on Rubicon Street near Miami Valley Hospital. They shared rides to campus and spent time hanging out together in the Rathskeller and at Cassano’s pizza at Wright State.

“Then my college life really took off,” he said. “We had a great time together. There were eight of us who lived in this house.”

It was also the beginning of something bigger. Stucky and his seven housemates — all Wright State alumni — would go on to found Dayton’s beloved Rubi Girls. While people often mistake the troupe’s name for the ruby gemstone, it’s actually a tribute to the friendships they formed on Rubicon Street.

“We would put on a blanket, an old wig that we found in a thrift store and just do stupid shows for each other. We never intended for anything more than that,” Stucky recalled.

From their first performance in a packed downtown Dayton bar, the Rubi Girls have been selling out shows and raising life-changing money ever since. During the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, they became a much-needed outlet for laughter.

“We figured out the formula,” said Stucky. “People would open up their wallets and their purses if they could just laugh for a minute.”

Forty-two years later, the Rubi Girls have raised over $4 million while helping more than 100 nonprofits annually. They also launched a scholarship fund and distribute six scholarships annually.

“It just keeps growing, but we’ve never lost sight of the HIV piece,” said Stucky. “This is a gift that keeps on giving, and I will never forget those people I have met along the way who lost their lives.”

Stucky is grateful to everyone who championed the group over the years.

“The Rubi Girls, to me, is a miracle right here in Dayton, Ohio,” he said. “I appreciate the community coming and supporting us.”

Making his mark in education and business

Before graduating from Wright State in 1989 with a Bachelor of Science in Education, Stucky student-taught at Jefferson Elementary in Dayton Public Schools. He then spent more than two decades teaching in Kettering City Schools, starting at Moraine Meadows — a small school for children of General Motors employees — where a population of around 100 students left a lasting impression.

“My heart was always with Moraine Meadows,” he said.

Stucky always dreamed of finishing his education career where it began. For the past eight years, he has done just that, teaching Introduction to Education at Wright State.

“It’s been a full-circle experience for me,” he said.

Reflecting on his 35-year teaching career, Stucky believes energy and enthusiasm are the greatest gifts he can give students — a lesson he shares as he trains the educators of tomorrow.

“If you’re enthusiastic about it, the kids will think it’s amazing,” he said.

While teaching full time, Stucky also managed to launch one of the Dayton region’s most successful and well-known businesses — Square One Salon and Spa.

Josh Stucky engages students in discussion during a class in Wright State’s teacher education program.

Stucky and his business partners, Doug Henderson and Brent Johnson — who is also Stucky’s life partner of 37 years — recognized a need for a salon in downtown Dayton and found what they were looking for in The Cannery, a largely undeveloped space where they immediately saw potential.

When Square One opened on East Third Street in 1999, the positive response was almost instantaneous. “It was a need, and we hit at the right time,” said Stucky.

With that formula proving successful, Stucky and his partners opened a second location in Dayton and two salons in Centerville before expanding to Columbus and New Albany.

Stucky didn’t stop with Square One Salon. In late 2025, he partnered with Tim Farquhar to launch Wayne and Clover Coffee Shop in Dayton’s South Park neighborhood, taking over the former Ghostlight Coffee space next to the Rubi Girls clubhouse.

“We wanted to keep this place alive and vibrant. From the moment we took over the space, it has been on fire,” said Stucky. “We thank Dayton, Ohio, for the support.”

To give back to the community that means so much to them, the new owners created the Coffee for Good program to support a local charity each month.

“What you put out into this world, you get back,” said Stucky. “We have always been charity driven. That’s been one of the drivers for Wayne and Clover Coffee, Square One salons and the Rubi Girls. It’s all been about giving back to our community.”

Warm and inviting, Wayne and Clover is a community gathering spot. Stucky and Farquhar expanded the space with a conversation room, library and nooks and crannies to study.

“We listened to what people wanted, and this place is being used left and right,” said Stucky. “It’s not just a coffee shop anymore.”

For Stucky, supporting Wright State is personal

While Stucky’s plate is more than full with teaching, managing his businesses and performing with the Rubi Girls, he still finds time to give back to his alma mater. A longtime supporter of Wright State’s arts programs, he served as chair of ArtsGala in 2025 and co-chair in 2026.

“ArtsGala gives you a taste of everything — dance, visual arts, theatre, music — all in one evening. I love that part of it,” he said. “What we need right now in our society is a push to represent and serve the arts. They are so important to the future of our society.”

Stucky is grateful to the university for helping to shape his life and the person he is today. He appreciates that Wright State opened him up to the world, introduced him to people from all walks of life and taught him that everyone — including himself — has their own unique place in society.

“I credit Wright State University for bringing me out of my shell. They made me realize that I have a gift that I can share,” said Stucky. “That’s what Wright State does so well. It opens you up to the community and makes you a part of it along the way.”