Staff

James Paul, PhD

Director of State Education Opportunity

James Paul is AFPI's Director of State Education Opportunity. In this role, he executes a comprehensive state-level strategy to expand educational freedom, empower parents, and promote excellence in K–12 education. His experience spans effective nonprofit advocacy, influential academic research, and successful policy implementation in state government. Before joining AFPI, James served as Executive Director of the West Virginia Professional Charter School Board, where he oversaw the launch of the state’s charter school sector and led the implementation of a $12 million federal Charter Schools Program grant. He earned his PhD in Education Policy from the University of Arkansas, where his innovative dissertation offered one of the first empirical analyses of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in K–12 and higher education. James is passionate about education policies that uphold parental authority, limit the influence of distant bureaucrats, and instill a love of country in the next generation of American students.

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