Dr. Alex Marrero leads with a vision of supporting students the way educators supported him growing up. As the child of a Cuban refugee and an immigrant from the Dominican Republic, Alex prides himself on representing many of the Latinx and black students in the communities he has served as a leader. He believes that every child can accomplish more than he has, not only overcoming obstacles, but being recognized as an innovator in their chosen field.
In July of 2021 Dr. Marrero was selected as the Superintendent of Denver Public Schools, the largest school district in the state of Colorado. As Superintendent of DPS, Dr. Marrero is responsible for a 1.28 billion dollar budget which supports nearly 90,000 students, 13,000 staff, and more than 200 schools.
During his time leading DPS, Dr. Marrero has a number of notable accomplishments, including the adoption of a community driven strategic plan. Under Dr. Marrero’s leadership DPS came to agreements with all Union bargaining groups and created a path to ensure the minimum wage for each employee is $20 per hour by 2025.
Academic success has also increased during his tenure leading DPS as eight schools were removed from the state accountability clock and the graduation rate for Denver Public Schools has increased by 2.5%, the highest it has ever been in Denver Public Schools.
Prior to leading Denver Public Schools, Dr. Marrero served the City School District of New Rochelle originally as the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, before being appointed as head of the city’s school system, serving as acting and then interim superintendent. Prior to that, he served as Assistant Superintendent at East Ramapo Central School District. Dr. Marreo began his career in education working in various roles including counselor, athletic director, assistant principal, and principal for the New York City Department of Education.
Dr. Marrero has also worked in higher education as a Learning Facilitator for the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, as well as an Adjunct Professor at both Manhattan College and Russell Sage College.
In 2022, Dr. Marrero received the inaugural “Dr. Dwight Jones Courageous Superintendent Award” from the Institute For Education Innovation. He has also been honored as an outstanding administrator by the Latino Caucus of the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators and inducted into the New York Academy of Public Education. He received a Leadership and Excellence in Education Award from the Association of Dominican-American Supervisors and Administrators and was recognized as the national Administrator of the Year by the Association for Latino Administrators and Superintendents, where he currently serves as President Elect. Dr. Marrero has also served as a panelist at the White House at a summit on Air Quality in Schools. Both the National Schools Public Relations Association and K12dive.com named him a Superintendent to Watch in 2023.
