James Aragon is an adjunct professor at Glendale Community College. He previously served as an associate professor and counselor for Pasadena City College for 26 years.  

Elected to the governing board of the Pasadena Area Community College District in March 2024, James represents Trustee Area 2, which includes the foothill communities spanning from Altadena to Sierra Madre.

James was born in East Los Angeles and raised in the San Gabriel Valley. He credits his experience at community college for changing his life. He attended Rio Hondo Community College before earning a bachelor’s degree in human services from Cal State Fullerton, where he also worked to support students through the university’s Educational Opportunity Program. He later received a master’s degree in counseling from San Francisco State University.

At PCC, James worked as a counselor, serving the college’s diverse student body, with a focus on underserved populations. He served as a senator in the Academic Senate and championed the academic needs of students. James co-coordinated the Puente Project and aimed to help create and support more educational opportunity for PCC students.

James serves as a board member with the Latino Equality Alliance, which advocates for the well-being and health of the LGBTQ+ Latine community. He previously served on the Human Service Commission for the City of Pasadena and the Pasadena Unified School District’s Redistricting Commission.