S1 E20: Fresh Perspectives with James Miles

During this episode of Why Change? co-hosts Ashraf and Jeff discuss new perspectives brought about by big ideas. Ashraf interviews James Miles, an actor, teaching artist, arts administrator, and nonprofit executive who shares his professional story and history contributing to systemic change to support youth through the arts, youth culture, and beyond. The episode concludes with a discussion of vulnerability and the self-examination necessary to effectively support young people as our next leaders.

In this episode you’ll learn:

  1. Why the arts should intertwine with other sectors for mutual benefit;

  2. How to connect our work to other work through the lens of care and cultural responsiveness; and 

  3. About the role of vulnerability and self-examination in finding our authentic selves in leadership roles. 


Check out some of the things mentioned during this podcast, including: 



Please download the transcript here. 



ABOUT JAMES MILES 

James Miles worked as an educator in the New York City public schools for almost 20 years prior to moving to Seattle in 2016. Before joining Mentor Washington as the Executive Director, Miles served as the Executive Director of Seattle based Arts Corps. Originally from Chicago, Miles has worked internationally as an artist and educator, who 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, and on the advisory board of SXSW EDU. A former accountant, model, and actor, Miles has facilitated workshops and designed curriculum for the New Victory Theater, Roundabout Theatre, Disney Theatrical Group, Village Theatre, Arts Impact, Denver Performing Arts Center, Impact Schools, and others. Previously a professor at NYU, James taught a myriad of classes, ranging from Acting and Directing to EdTech and Special Education. A graduate of Morehouse College and Brandeis University, James has presented at SXSW EDU, NYU’s IMPACT Festival, NYU Shanghai, New York Creative Tech Week, EdTechXEurope, Google Educator Bootcamp, UAEM North America, UAEM Europe, National Guild, ITAC, and provided professional development to teachers across the world. His work has been featured by Pie News, New Profit, Complex Magazine, National Guild, Seattle Times, KOMO, KEXP, 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 at www.freshprofessor.com. James is currently writing a book about youth culture and educational practices, due out this year.

WHERE TO FIND JAMES:

This episode of Why Change? A Podcast for the Creative Generation was powered by Creative Generation. It was produced and edited by Daniel Stanley. Artwork by Bridget Woodbury. Music by Distant Cousins.