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Public education is under pressure. And Dr. Alex Marrero is leading right in the center of the storm.
Dr. Marrero is the first Latino superintendent of Denver Public Schools, Colorado’s largest district, and he’s not here to “win every moment.” He’s here to make decisions he can live with indefinitely. In this conversation, Alex takes us inside the real job of leadership: the backlash, the weight, the loneliness, the moral math, and the courage required to stay anchored in what he calls the “best interest of students.”
Ilana met Alex five years ago during a leadership development program at the height of Covid, when Ilana was guiding him through breathing practices and mindful movement in one-on-one sessions. Since then, Alex has stepped into a superintendent role he says he “did not know what he was signing up for,” inherited a “district of schools,” and helped move Denver toward coherence, shared expectations, and record graduation rates.
Here are some of the best moments from the episode:
- The mindset shift Alex uses to survive criticism: “I have to live with my decisions indefinitely”
- How he thinks about community power, choice, and why families can “make or break” a district
- The difference between community engagement, involvement, and real empowerment
- What it means to “relinquish power” without losing leadership
- How Denver moved from a “district of schools” to a real school district with coherence and shared expectations
- Why he keeps “Fire Marrero” signs as motivation (and what it taught him about leadership)
- How to stay true to yourself when pressure, privilege, and politics try to bend you
- The quiet-time practices and trusted colleagues that help him make better decisions
- The origin story behind community hubs that became a lifeline for families, including thousands of new arrivals
If you lead a classroom, a school, or a district, this episode will make you feel seen and give you language for the moments when doing the right thing is unpopular.
If this conversation moved you, don’t let it be a one-time moment.
Follow “A Work of Heart” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube. Subscribe so you never miss an episode. And if it resonated, take 30 seconds to rate and review. It helps more educators find these conversations and reminds the algorithm that teachers matter. Your support helps us keep bringing voices like Dr. Marrero’s to life.
