James grew up on Washington Island and has spent his entire adult life in working in public safety since becoming a first responder in 1993. James has nearly 10 years of experience as a Public Safety Director and has served two municipalities as Police Chief and Fire Chief. He holds certification as a Paramedic, Law Enforcement Officer, and Fire Officer II.
James enjoys working with organizations and helping them develop strategies that improve street level service delivery to citizens. James has experience consulting on personnel matters such as employee selection, workplace culture, and employee discipline. His workplace culture training program, “It’s your ISLAND” has been popular at conferences throughout the United States.
James is a lifelong learner holding a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Carroll College, Master of Justice Administration from Norwich University, and Certified Public Manager at the University of Wisconsin. He teaches as an adjunct faculty member of two colleges in Southern Wisconsin.