ACES welcomes Program Director, Malcolm Baker

The ACES team is proud to welcome Malcolm Baker as the organization’s first-ever Program Director!

Malcolm joined the ACES staff in November and brings key experience, as well as education and leadership expertise to this hands-on role. As Program Director, Malcolm is responsible for the overall strategy, leadership, and implementation of ACES’s educational and youth development programming. In addition to ensuring that the ACES model meets community needs and is aligned with current education standards, Malcolm also oversees our team of Site Coordinators and Academic Coaches, and builds strong relationships with the students, schools, and communities ACES serves. 

Malcolm holds bachelor’s degrees in French and Biology from Texas Christian University and a master’s in Education and Instructional Design from the University of Missouri – St Louis. Prior to joining ACES, he served as a science educator in Kansas City Public Schools and led operational, programming, and employee learning & development initiatives throughout the Midwest.

New to the state, Malcolm is eager to advance ACES’s mission to close the academic opportunity gap in Minnesota – and he didn’t waste any time before visiting all nine of ACES’s program sites. He prides himself on empowering connections between people and ideas to create equitable, structural change. “My approach is being people-driven, data-informed. I empower others to spark their ideas into action,” said Malcolm. 

The negative impacts of pandemic missed learning continue to be strongly felt by schools and students across the state and the demand for ACES programming continues to grow. With Malcolm’s leadership and vision, ACES’s will continue expanding to meet this pivotal moment.

“Having Malcolm join our team at this moment is invaluable,” said Christina Saunders, Executive Director. “We set out on a robust, determined search to fill this role and everything fell into place when we met him. ACES is increasing enrollment exponentially and an intentional leader like Malcolm is going to help us give these students the safe, supportive spaces and first-rate programming they deserve.”

Want to learn more about Malcolm and the rest of the ACES team? Check out the staff page here.