James Bailey

Dr. James Bailey serves as Core Faculty in Walden University's Richard W. Riley College of Education and Human Sciences, bringing 20+ years of K-12 leadership experience to his academic role. His career spans teacher, principal, superintendent, and school turnaround specialist positions across Texas, Colorado, and Wyoming.

His research focuses on educational leadership, social-emotional learning implementation, and school redesign. Notably, as Wyoming Superintendent, he pioneered personalized learning reforms that earned his district the state's first membership in the League of Innovative Schools. He co-founded Brass Tacks Innovations to advance adult SEL development and improvement science applications in education.

His recent publications examine SEL leadership practices and organizational resilience. The 2023 book The Daily SEL Leader provides structured reflection tools for educational leaders, while 2022's Building Learning Capacity addresses systemic adaptation in volatile educational environments. These works synthesize his frontline experience with contemporary leadership theory.

Dr. Bailey's mentorship approach integrates executive coaching techniques with practical school reform frameworks. He emphasizes developing leaders' emotional intelligence as prerequisite to effective organizational change, using Brass Tacks Innovations as a living laboratory for implementation science applications.