Over 20 years ago, James discovered that much like himself, people needed instruction and encouragement when dealing with difficult situations. Realizing that there was (within him) a desire to help others, James began an amazing journey of 20 plus years (and counting) of building his Classroom Facilitation, Mentoring and Public Speaking Skills.
This journey has led James to Speaking Engagements at Houses of Worship to Institutions of Higher Learning, Non Profit agencies, as well as State and Federal Court Systems where he has used his own personal story of “Transition” to provide insight into the strength of the human spirit and to demonstrate what “Positive Transition” looks like.
As a consultant, James has facilitated bi-weekly support sessions for the Riverside Church’s Coming Home Program guiding women and men through their transition into society from life situations deemed irreparable in New York City, NY. He has guest lectured at John Jay College of Criminal Justice (New York, NY) for over two years working with freshman and sophomore classes. He has also had the pleasure of speaking to students and faculty at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health (New York, NY). James was sought out by Senior Federal Probation Officers in the District of Columbia to conduct a series of workshops for some of the district’s most incorrigible young people.
James has worked with the Manhattan DA’s Office on initiatives promoting the end to gun violence in NYC. In this capacity, he worked with parolees and probationers and in most cases provided referrals for employment opportunities.
For more than three years, James was the Senior Workshop Coordinator at the leading Reentry Agency in the nation; The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO). In this capacity, he managed and conducted two Pre-Employment Workshops per day for young adults either on parole or probation. In addition to enhanced Work Readiness Instruction, he incorporated the widely recognized Cognitive Behavior Therapy Model.
In the time he has spent with CEO, he has worked directly with nearly 1000 young people helping them become viable members of their community through using basic everyday life skills while finding and maintaining employment. James was responsible for providing valuable input during the developmental stages of the curriculum in rotation at CEO. Also, while at CEO James has completed extensive training in Motivational Interviewing and Mental Health First Aide Training and is trained as a Credible Messenger.
In 2017, James did the one thing he thought he could never do and that was to step in front of the camera and share his life story in a brutally honest Docu-Series filled with teachable moments about his past and the decisions that cost him 25 years of his life. This offering has been screened for parents and their children in open forums which led to very spirited conversations about the perils of poor decisions and the strength of making a transition from crime to a productive way of living despite a person’s past.
Today, James remains committed to helping others avoid the pitfalls of poor decision making.
Relevant Trainings
-Mental Health First Aide Training
-Certified Credible Messenger
-Parenting and Healthy Relationship Training
-Advanced Training in Alternative to Violence
