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Jim Larimore Highlight

Jim Larimore

Chief Officer,

ACT Center for Equity in Learning

Don’t let anyone deny you the opportunity to learn. Your purpose in getting an education is to become the most formidable human being you can become.

About Jim

Born and raised in Texas.
My siblings and I were the first people in my family to earn college degrees.
Attended Texas A&M University—I actually quit college about six or seven times because I kept running out of money.
Got a job as a resident assistant in a dorm on campus, which reduced my tuition and gave me a free place to live, allowing me to complete my degree in criminal justice and sociology.
My original goal was to work in juvenile probation, but through a series of random turns, I found my way into working in education—received my master’s degree in education from Stanford.
After graduating, my higher-education career began in the admissions office of Dartmouth College recruiting Native American high school students from the southwest of the U.S.
For the last 30 years, I've been the dean of a number of institutions, including Dartmouth, Swarthmore College, and Amherst; also served as a deputy director at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
I am now the chief officer of the ACT Center for Equity in Learning, where I direct their strategy to close gaps in opportunity, achievement, and equity for all students.