James is a consultant and facilitator in the areas of diversity and inclusion, leadership development, strategic planning, conflict resolution and mediation. His background includes extensive work with a broad range of groups including college and adults to adolescent and youth.

With an extensive background in every level of academia including such institutions as Duke School of Medicine, University of Arizona, Bard College, State University of NY at New Paltz, and Marist College, as well as a broad range of corporations and nonprofit organizations, James brings to his training and facilitation a keen understanding of the need for both diversity awareness and skills to create inclusion in all sectors. His open and often humorous style of communication energizes and challenges participants as he fosters the "unlearning" of foundational concepts upon which many of society's problematic interactions are based.

James served as the Director of the Human Rights Commission for the City of Kingston, New York from 1997 until 2007. He has also worked as the Leadership Development Trainer for the Ulster YouthBuild/AmeriCorps Program, Youth Director with the Ulster County Multi-Service Center, served on the Board of the United Way, the advisory council of Kingston Community Development, the Board of Directors for the Kingston Housing Authority, and as chair of the board of the non-profit community development organization RUPCO. His independent consulting business, JaRa Consulting, LLC, also includes high-end image creation and graphic design. James received his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the State University of New York – College at New Paltz in 1986. In May 2007, James received his Master of Divinity degree as well as a Master of Arts degree in Human Service Counseling from Regent University – Virginia Beach, VA.

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