Atasha James

Mrs. Atasha M. James Co-Founded Equity Now, Inc. in 2017, a nonprofit accelerating change in education, finances, and agriculture. She quickly discovered that the nexus to accelerate transformation in all areas of our community is through educating our young people. Atasha used Equity Now, Inc. as the conduit to Co-Found Legends Charter School—which opened in Prince George's County, Maryland, in August 2020. Legends currently serves 900 students K-8, leveraging an opportunity-rich environment with an innovative, advanced liberal arts curriculum paired with comprehensive Financial Literacy education. 

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Before co-founding Equity Now and Legends, Atasha led schools in the District of Columbia, Buffalo, and Anne Arundel County Schools systems. Atasha taught at both the Elementary and Middle School levels before working with the Teacher Educator Institute at The State University of New York at Buffalo while completing her doctoral studies. 

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Atasha was a Mary Jane Fellow Inaugural Mentor Principal. She is among a shortlist of school leaders recognized for closing the achievement gap in both math and reading for three consecutive years. In 2014, she received the Rubenstein Award for Highly Effective Leadership. Atasha's school was one of the few traditional public schools competing and thriving in one of DC's most challenging areas. Leckie Outperformed other high-poverty schools in all academic and social-emotional outputs. 

Atasha is proud of her Afro-Puerto Rican roots and her hometown of Buffalo, New York, where she met and married her high school sweetheart. They have two beautiful children and a large, loving extended family.