José Magaña

Transforming Schools Through Bold Leadership

Title: Founding Executive Director / Trustee and Vice President / Secretary

Organization: Latinos for Education / San Jose Unified School District / California Latino School Boards Association

Age: 35

The Honorable José Magaña was raised in California’s Central Valley by immigrant grandparents, a teen mother, and a formerly incarcerated father. He is the first male in his family to graduate from college and began his career as a kindergarten teacher in San José after earning his degree from UCSB. Today, as Executive Director of Latinos for Education – Bay Area, he leads regional program growth and policy advocacy to expand Latino leadership in education.

Trustee Magaña’s career spans the classroom, nonprofit, public, and edtech sectors—always focused on making his story the rule, not the exception. He coached educators nationwide on using technology to accelerate student learning, led the AmeriCorps program at City Year San José/Silicon Valley, and later collaborated with funders, districts, and policymakers to scale high-impact tutoring ecosystems across the country.

Magaña began his public service on the City of San José’s Library and Education Commission, where he helped eliminate late fees and expand hours. As current Chair, he continues to champion equity in access to resources. In 2018, he made history as the youngest elected Trustee in San José Unified School District. He served as President and led landmark policies: expanding transitional kindergarten and ethnic studies, passing an Equity Policy, distributing library cards to all students, and co-authoring resolutions to advance student safety and racial equity.

He championed the passage of Measure R, a $1.15 billion bond to fund workforce housing and modernize school facilities. Beyond San José, he serves on several regional, state, and national education organizations advancing educational equity.

VP Magaña holds a Master’s in Governance from CSBA and Certificate in Education Finance from Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. He lives in San José with his wife, a fellow educator, their two daughters, and their dog.