Dr. James Harrell is the Associate Superintendent of San Francisco Unified School District, an urban LEA and county unified school district serving 50,000 students. They bring deep experience leading people and talent strategy across large, complex public education systems, through prior roles as Chief of Human Capital Management at San Antonio ISD, Executive Officer of Talent Development at Houston ISD and senior HR and school leadership positions in Oakland Unified School District in Oakland, CA. James began their career as a paraprofessional and classroom teacher, grounding their leadership in the realities of schools and communities.

James is a national thought leader and skilled facilitator on systems leadership, workforce strategy and professional learning. They have presented to the Council of Great City Schools, the American Federation of Teachers, and the New Mexico Department of Education.Their writing has appeared in Edutopia, The Learning Professional, and Leadership.

James holds a bachelor’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University and a master’s degree and doctorate from Harvard University.