Dr. James Mahoney

With more than 35 years of experience serving as a superintendent, assistant superintendent, principal, teacher, and adjunct professor at several Ohio universities, Jim joined Battelle for Kids as executive director in 2001. Under his leadership, the organization has partnered with state departments of education, some of the country’s largest school districts, and national foundations to implement successful education improvement initiatives in more than 20 states and Hong Kong.

A well-known speaker, Jim has made presentations throughout the United States, Canada, and China. He also co-authored the book, Data-Driven Decisions and School Leadership: Best Practices for School Improvement and has had several articles printed in state and national publications.

In 2003, Jim was appointed by former Ohio Governor Bob Taft to serve on the Ohio Accountability Task Force, a coalition created to improve the state’s education accountability system. He has also received numerous awards for his leadership in education, including the Ohio Friend of Education Award from the Ohio Federation of Teachers; the President’s Award from the Ohio School Boards Association, an award given annually to an individual who as greatly influenced public education; the Ohio Superintendent Outstanding Performance Award from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation; and the Educator of the Year Award from the Ohio Association of Local School Superintendents in 2001.

“At the end of the day, this is not about statistics, it’s not about measures. It’s about how we take these things as tools to help us do right by kids.”