Alex Magaña is a lifelong educator with 25 years of experience serving Denver students as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, and executive director. He’s raised two children in Denver Public Schools, and his career has taken him across Northwest, Southwest, and Southeast Denver—giving him a deep understanding of both the promise and the inequities in the system. At Grant Beacon and later as executive director of the Beacon Schools, Alex helped build safe, high-achieving school communities that listened to families, prioritized reading, and reflected the students they served. That work led to the creation of the Beacon Network after families across the city demanded more of what they saw him building.

Alex’s journey into education began with a simple, powerful moment—when a school leader told him, “Our kids need you.” That moment changed his life. He left a career in corporate America and returned to the classroom because he knew where he truly belonged: with students, especially those who look like him. As a DPS parent, he’s felt the helplessness of navigating the system when his son was diagnosed with dyslexia—and that experience shaped his leadership. He builds systems that don’t wait for students to fail, but support them from day one.

Now, Alex is running for the Denver School Board At-Large because he believes every student deserves a school where they feel safe, welcomed, and set up to succeed—academically and emotionally. He knows the district is in crisis, but he’s not running to pick sides or chase headlines. He’s running to put students first, rebuild trust, and lead with respect, collaboration, and transparency.