About James
James is an entrepreneur and university educator. He is trained as a political economist with research interests in energy, the environment, and the financial system; his teaching falls within the realms of political studies and business.
James holds an MPhil in Economics from Cambridge University, where he studied the dynamics of the debt-based money system. He's presently a PhD researcher at McGill University, where he's studying the relationship between debt financing and housing affordability. James has a keen interest in testing forward-looking principles in applied business and organizational settings. He is the Director of the CMU Centre for Resilience, a Board Director with the Assiniboine Credit Union, and a founding member of Prairie Rivers CoLiving Cooperative. He previously worked as a financial counsellor and business advisor, in public policy positions with lawmakers, and as a social entrepreneur—co-founding a food cooperative (The Fireweed Food Co-op), a coffee shop (Fools + Horses), a composting service (Compost Winnipeg), and an urban land trust. |
Current
- PhD researcher, McGill University
- Instructor, Canadian Mennonite University / Director, CMU Centre for Resilience
- Board Director, Assiniboine Credit Union
Background
- Co-founder, Fools + Horses Coffee
- Co-chair, Transition Winnipeg
- Board Director, Green Action Centre / Compost Winnipeg
- Financial Counselor and Estate Manager, LC Taylor, Trustee in Bankruptcy
- Policy and communications positions with lawmakers and advocacy organizations, including the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce
- Worked in the communications industry as an editor and translator in Asia
- Named one of Manitoba's "Future 40 Under 40" (2015)
- Strategic Advisor, CAST Inc. (Creative Applications for Sustainable Technologies)
- Strategic Advisor, Manoverboard Design
- Research Fellow, Centre for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy (CASSE)
Education
- PhD (in progress), McGill University
- MPhil, Cambridge University
- BA in Political Studies (Hons), Theatre (Hons; Gold Medal), and Rhetoric & Communications, University of Winnipeg