James Willcox

James Willcox is a 4-time CEO and co-founder, with his most recent work being founding and leading Greenhouse E3. Greenhouse is a national equity-driven nonprofit that supports and develops aspiring, new, and veteran charter school CEOs and their executive teams across the country– with the mission of building a thriving and racially representative executive community for the charter school sector.

James also serves as an executive coach and senior advisor for the K16 education sector, and for Strategic Growth Partners (SGP), a mixed-use real estate development firm that he founded and served as CEO from 2016-2020. SGP builds and integrates charter schools with affordable housing, early childhood centers, and health clinics.

Prior to SGP, James succeeded founder Don Shalvey as the second CEO of Aspire Public Schools.

During his tenure, Aspire grew from 17 schools serving just under 6,000 students to 39 schools serving over 15,000 students with annual revenues of $215M— and was the highest-performing, high-poverty school system in California. Aspire was also recognized as one of the world’s fastest-improving school systems by McKinsey & Co under his leadership.

James was also a founding board member of Pacific Charter School Development, Schoolzilla, and Alder Graduate School of Education; the founding chief operating officer of Education for Change Public Schools; a principal at New Schools Venture Fund; a consultant at The Bridgespan Group; and a Black Hawk helicopter pilot in the Army.

James is a graduate of West Point, Stanford GSB, and Stanford Graduate School of Education, and a proud father of three incredible daughters who are all successful engineers. James spends his free time in (or around) salt water, either kitesurfing, windsurfing, wingfoiling, paddling, or fishing.