Leap Ambassador Profile

Jim Canales was appointed President and Trustee of the Barr Foundation in May 2014. Prior to joining Barr, Jim spent two decades in a variety of roles at The James Irvine Foundation in California, including eleven years as President and Chief Executive Officer. Before embarking on a career in philanthropy, Jim was a high school English teacher in San Francisco. Jim earned a BA in English and a Masters in Education from Stanford University, where he has served on the Board of Trustees since 2006. Jim also previously served as Vice Chair of the Board for the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and as Chair of the boards of the College Access Foundation of California, KQED Public Broadcasting, the Stanford Alumni Association, and Larkin Street Youth Services. Jim's writing on topics related to the philanthropic sector has appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, the Huffington Post, and the Chronicle of Philanthropy, among other publications.