Brooke James is the Managing Director at Teaching Lab Ventures Inc. Prior to Teaching Lab Ventures, Brooke was a Program Officer on the Walton Family Foundation Education team focused on innovation and teacher instructional practice. Brooke joined in WFF in 2020 after spending nine years with Relay Graduate School of Education. At Relay, Brooke was a founding Assistant Professor of Practice, teaching and leading the research, design and review of over 80 graduate-level courses in the Master of Arts in Teaching program, and finally the founding dean of Relay’s Washington, DC campus. Brooke started her career in education as a middle and high school teacher. Brooke was named DC Public Schools’ Outstanding First Year Teacher and a Teacher Central to Leadership Fellow. Brooke graduated from The George Washington University, and earned an Ed.M. from Harvard University in teaching and curriculum. Brooke grew up in a small gold-mining and ranching town in northeastern Nevada, and is happy to talk about it at length! She currently lives in Denver, CO with her husband, two kiddos, and fluffy cat.