Dr. Martha James is an Associate Professor in the School of Education and Urban Studies at Morgan State University, where she teaches and leads initiatives at the intersection of teacher education, professional learning, and educational innovation. She brings more than 30 years of experience in urban public education as a teacher, instructional leader, researcher, and consultant. Dr. James earned her undergraduate degree in Kinesiology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, a Master’s degree in Inquiry-Based Education from Hamline University, and a Doctorate in Critical Pedagogy with a concentration in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of St. Thomas, Minneapolis, MN. Her scholarship and practice are grounded in cultural fluency, interdisciplinary teaching, and high-leverage approaches to professional development. Her current work focuses on the responsible integration of artificial intelligence in teacher preparation and in-service professional learning. Through research, grant-funded projects, and design-based inquiry, Dr. James explores how AI-supported tools can enhance—not replace—human judgment, professional reflection, and instructional decision-making. She is particularly interested in how AI can support continuous improvement, teacher agency, and equitable learning experiences across content areas. In addition to her faculty role, Dr. James is the CEO and Chief Imaginator of UnLTDLearning, LLC, a boutique firm that partners with schools, districts, and organizations to design data-informed, empowerment-oriented professional learning systems. Her coaching and consulting work emphasizes sustainable improvement, practitioner inquiry, and alignment between policy, practice, experiences, and outcomes. Beyond her professorship, Dr. James demonstrates her investment in the community in various ways. She has served her community as a Commissioner on the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners, Past President of the Maryland Association of Boards of Education, member of the Board of Directors for the Council of the Great City Schools, the Policy & Resolutions Committee Chair for the Steering Committee for the Council of Urban Boards of Education, the Vice President of the National Association of Kinesiology in Higher Education and currently as Vice President of the Board of Directors for Project Pneuma—an organization committed to improving policing policies and youth development through relationship and physical activity. Martha has been honored as an Upper Midwest Human Rights Fellow, State Teacher of the Year, National Social Justice and Diversity Teacher of the Year, Joanna Davenport Outstanding Doctoral Research Awardee, Faculty Diversity Fellow, Dr. Effie H Jones Humanitarian Awardee, NAKHE Outstanding Young Scholar, University of Wisconsin-Madison Baltimore Area Badger of the Year, and in 2020 was named to the Daily Register’s list of Top 100 Women in Maryland. In addition to being an avid wanderer, constant questioner, and prolific idea factory Martha is a proud mother, yogi, reader, and marathoner, and in 2008 she became an Ironman by completing the 140.6-mile course in 14 hours, 9 minutes, and 31 seconds.