James is an advocate for individuals navigating the healthcare, public assistance, housing and criminal justice systems in New York City and has deep management experience in academic medicine as the administrator of the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Columbia University as well as with the University of California, San Francisco. He was also the Director of Finance for the Tisch Cancer Institute at the Mount Sinai Medical Center and has held senior positions at the University of Chicago and New York University.

James received his Master’s in Public Administration from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. His Bachelor’s Degree is from the Indiana University School of Journalism in Bloomington, Indiana, where he also was raised. James has lived in Manhattan for many years and was the first patient in the State of New York to receive gene therapy for Hemophilia B in 2024.