Aaron J. Griffen, Ph.D. is the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at DSST Public Schools in Denver, Colorado. He is a K-12 Practitioner with over 20 years experience as a middle school English teacher and assistant principal in Houston, Texas and as a high school principal in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Throughout his career, he has worked exclusively and purposefully in Urban defined schools and districts, serving a culturally, linguistically, economically, educationally, emotionally and diverse population of learners. His experiences include working to provide equitable supports and outcomes for culturally different learners in Special Education, Gifted and/or Talented, and Second Language Learning. 

Dr. Griffen is the 2013 recipient of the Urban Teaching Award from Texas A&M University. As a researcher and scholar, he serves on the programming committees for the Educating Children of Color Summit and the African American Youth Leadership Conference of Colorado Springs, Colorado and is Chair of School/University Partnerships for the American Educational Research Association – SIG – A Critical Examination of Race Ethnicity Class and Gender. He is an author, speaker, guest lecturer, panelist, and professional development consultant with active research interests and a publishing agenda in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, Culturally Responsive Instructional Leadership, Multicultural Curriculum and Instruction Design &Implementation, Social Justice & Advocacy, and Urban Policy & Analysis. Follow Dr. Griffen on Twitter: @DrAaronJGriffen and on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-j-griffen-ph-d-5856497b/

Books authored or co-authored by Aaron J. Griffen:

~ Fighting the Good Fight: Narratives of the African American Principalship