Dr. James R. Marín

Dr. James R. Marín has worked in public education for the last 23 years. Prior to joining KIPP SoCal Public Schools, James served as a Middle and High School Teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District in South Los Angeles and Watts, High School Principal at Locke High School and LA Jordan High School with Green Dot Public Schools, Director of Student Services for the Inglewood Unified School District and Director of Community Schools for Promesa Boyle Heights and LAUSD Local District East. He earned his Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and his Master's Degree in Education from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), a Master's Degree in Education Administration from California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA) and his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Southern California (USC). As a teacher, James earned National Board Certification in Secondary Social Sciences. His research interests include equity and access for students in urban schools; culturally responsive and relevant teaching; mentoring; urban school leadership; and parent advocacy and empowerment. He works in urban K-12 education to disrupt the systematic and institutional educational racism and inequities that have led to persistently low-expectations and outcomes in urban communities of color. Outside of work, James enjoys working out, hiking, sports and attending to his cactus garden. James is a practicing buddhist in the Won buddhism tradition and lives in the University Hills community of El Sereno with his husband Luis and their two pit mix dogs—Itza and Leti.

James brings deep expertise and an unwavering commitment to educational justice, grounded in two decades of experience as a teacher, turnaround principal, and systems-level leader in historically underserved communities. Most recently, James served as KIPP SoCal’s Director of Leadership Development, where he led our School Leader Fellow program and provided high-impact coaching to emerging and current school leaders across 20 campuses. His prior leadership roles include Director of Community Schools with Promesa Boyle Heights and Director of Student Services in Inglewood Unified, where he successfully oversaw multimillion-dollar grants and district-wide support systems. As a former high school principal in Watts, James dramatically improved academic outcomes, reduced suspension rates by 90%, and strengthened family partnerships through relentless community engagement—including evening house visits in Nickerson Gardens, Jordan Downs, and Imperial Courts. James is passionate about reimagining how South LA schools collaborate under a shared transformation model and brings a bold vision for equity, culturally responsive instruction, and strategic systems improvement.