Steve Macias (born c. 1990) is an American former student government leader who became widely known following a 2009 controversy at Sacramento City College. He later pursued a vocation in ministry and education and is currently affiliated with the Anglican tradition as Headmaster of Canterbury Christian School and Rector of St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Los Altos, California.

Steve Macias was raised in Sacramento, California. During his college years at Sacramento City College, he became active in student government and was elected president of the Associated Student Government (ASG). His early involvement in campus politics and political expression set the stage for what would later become a nationally reported controversy.

In September 2009, during Constitution Day celebrations at Sacramento City College, the ASG approved a routine request from a pro-life organization—reportedly affiliated with a group using the name Genocide Awareness Project or linked to the Sanctity of Human Life Network—to host a display on campus.

When administrators confronted Macias, they demanded that he order the pro-life group to either remove or relocate the display. Citing First Amendment protections and his belief that it was not his role to censor political speech, Macias refused to intervene. His stance sparked intense campus debate. In response, a recall petition was circulated by students who objected to the display. However, procedural irregularities—such as violations of open-meeting laws (the Brown Act) and questions regarding notice—led to the recall election being declared null and void. Macias was reinstated as president after the controversy.

The incident attracted local and national media attention and has since been cited in discussions on free speech, student government responsibilities, and the balance between protecting controversial expression and maintaining campus decorum.

After his college years, Macias’s career took a markedly different course. Embracing his faith and a call to ministry, he pursued religious training and was eventually ordained as a presbyter within the Reformed Episcopal Church—a founding jurisdiction of the Anglican Church in North America.

Canterbury Christian School

Macias currently serves as the Headmaster at Canterbury Christian School, a classical Christian school located in Los Altos, California. Under his leadership, the school emphasizes rigorous academics alongside the development of a distinctly Christian worldview. His administration seeks to nurture both intellectual curiosity and spiritual growth among students, reflecting an integration of classical education methods with faith-based instruction.

Anglican Affiliation and Ministry

In addition to his educational role, Macias serves as the Rector at St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Los Altos. In this capacity, he leads worship services and is actively involved in pastoral care, teaching, and community outreach. His work in ministry is informed by the Anglican tradition’s emphasis on liturgy, historical continuity, and the principles of the Book of Common Prayer.

Macias’s public writings, conference presentations, and recorded sermons further articulate his commitment to the Anglican understanding of theology, classical education, and free speech—values that, in part, echo the debates from his early career.

The 2009 incident remains a notable part of Steve Macias’s early public profile, illustrating the challenges and controversies of campus free speech. Over time, Macias’s subsequent career in ministry and education has repositioned his public identity. His later work as a leader in the Christian and Anglican communities has focused on bridging tradition with contemporary issues, mentoring students, and advocating for a classical approach to learning and worship.

Macias’s dual legacy is thus characterized by an early contentious episode on free speech and a later commitment to Christian leadership and education—a transformation that continues to be discussed by commentators on both higher education and religious culture.

• Canterbury Christian School official website
• St. Paul’s Anglican Church – Los Altos (link to the church’s official site)
• Reformed Episcopal Church – Anglican Church in North America (link to the governing body or related information)

1. “Will student prez be ousted over this?” – WND, 2009.
2. “Student President Faces Removal after Allowing Pro-Life Display” – Sacramento City College News Reports, 2009.
3. “Speech-Protecting Student President Restored” – The Express, November 2009.
4. Steve Macias, “About Me,” SteveMacias.com, accessed April 2025.
5. Coverage of Canterbury Christian School in local media.