James Talarico Worked As ‘Equitable Education’ Consultant at Left-Wing Firm Developing DEI Plans for Texas School Districts
Collin Anderson and Peter Hasson
The Washington Free Beacon
June 11, 2026
Texas Senate candidate James Talarico (D.) earned tens of thousands of dollars working as an “equitable education” consultant for a firm that develops DEI plans for public schools in Texas. The firm, MAYA Consulting, described its work as “rooted in our diversity, equity, and inclusion philosophy” and donated to a group working to defund the Austin Police Department, a Washington Free Beacon review found.
Talarico first announced he was joining MAYA, which has since rebranded as VIDA Collaborative, in 2019, writing in a Facebook post that he would be “working with districts, nonprofits, and communities to build excellent and equitable educational opportunities.” Talarico worked for the firm until October 2025—one month after he launched his Senate campaign—and earned $83,333.40 from the job last year, according to his financial disclosure.
MAYA, with Talarico’s help, worked to bring critical race theory and DEI to Texas schools, particularly during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, when it partnered with public school districts like Snyder Independent School District in West Texas to support “diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.” In Austin, where Talarico lives, it promoted a series of monthly “RaceTalks” organized by the local public school district’s “Race Equity Council” that called on parents to “explore” their “pushback and triggers and name systemic barriers that form as a result.” The firm also contributed $5,000 to the left-wing nonprofit Austin Justice Coalition around the same time the coalition called to defund the Austin Police Department.
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As a state lawmaker, however, Talarico led efforts to place DEI at the center of Texas schools. In 2021, he authored a bill requiring every large public school district in Texas to hire a “diversity, equity, and inclusion officer” tasked with establishing “a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion for all students” and implementing “training related to diversity, equity, or inclusion.” The bill, which went nowhere in Texas’s Republican-controlled legislature, could have benefited MAYA as it established itself as a leading “education equity” firm.
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In addition to its “antiracist” work, MAYA championed left-wing gender initiatives in K-12 schools. In March 2020, the firm celebrated “Trans Day of Visibility” by touting its work “unpacking our cisnormative assumptions about trans narratives.” Three months later, MAYA donated another $5,000 to Gay, Lesbian, & Straight Education Network (GLSEN), which is now known as Glisten. The group has advocated against bills outlawing transgender care for minors. It also authored a “Model District Policy on Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students” for K-12 school districts arguing that school officials should not disclose a student’s “transgender status” to his or her parents.
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