James was raised in Northern Tennessee on a rural farm. After high school he moved to Nashville, Tennessee to continue his education at Tennessee State University, inspiring him to become a Registered Nurse. In 2017 he graduated with his Master of Science Degree in Nursing (MSN). His nursing career had him working with patients in their most vulnerable life moments in the intensive care units, emergency department, in nursing management positions and volunteering at the first HIV/AIDS clinic in Nashville. James currently teaches nursing students at a local higher education facility in Gulfport. Throughout his nursing career he strived to be an advocate for all he cared for regardless of race, sex, creed, religion, sexual orientation, sexual identity or socio-economic status. 

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James and his husband, Paul, moved to the Mississippi Gulf Coast in 2024. He joined the board in 2025 to further his vision of equality, advocacy and inclusion.