James Miles is an Assistant Professor in Seattle University’s College of Arts & Sciences, having previously served as the Chief Executive Officer at MENTOR Washington, and the Executive Director of Arts Corps.

Originally from Chicago, by way of New York City, Miles was inspired to foment change after seeing so many children that looked like him, get disregarded and treated like criminals by our educational systems. His acclaimed TedX Talk focuses on his mission to narrow achievement gaps using the arts as a tool to navigate inequitable educational systems.

Miles is a Mayoral Appointee to the Seattle Arts Commission, a Trustee on the Board of the Frye Museum and MoPOP, and on the advisory board of SXSW EDU. A former accountant, model, actor, and adjunct professor at NYU, Miles has facilitated workshops and designed curriculum for the New Victory Theater, Disney Theatrical Group, Village Theatre, Arts Impact, Denver Performing Arts Center, Impact Schools, and others.

A graduate of Morehouse College and Brandeis University, James has presented at SXSW EDU, NYU Shanghai, Harvard GSE, EdTechXEurope, Google, UAEM North America, UAEM Europe, National Guild, ITAC, and provided professional development to teachers and leaders across the world. His work has been featured by Complex Magazine, National Guild, Seattle Times, KOMO, KEXP, Pie News(Australia) NPR, CBS, NBC, US Department of Education, and ASCD. James is a consultant with Continua Consulting, and  is the co-founder of LeadersDontLead.com, a leadership coaching agency. Learn more about James Miles and his work here.