James received his double-major Bachelor of Science in history and geography from West Texas A & M University in 2000. Pursuing graduate studies that complimented closely his continued interests in patterns of human migration, settlement, and development, he entered the University of North Dakota (UND) in early 2001. He was awarded his Master of Arts in geography with a specialization in community development and planning plus a minor in history from UND in 2004. Shortly thereafter, he began his doctoral work in geography at Arizona State University (ASU) but, prior to finishing, decided to follow his life-long dream and head to Alaska.

In 2005 he traveled north to work as the principal/secondary teacher at a remote village site along the Kuskokwim River in southwestern Alaska. While working full-time for the district, he entered the UAF School of Education and pursued his Masters in Curriculum and Instruction degree, with a secondary teacher certification. He completed the University of Alaska-Fairbanks (UAF) secondary teacher certification program in 2007.

In mid-2007 James began work on his Type-B Administrator Certification at the University of Alaska-Anchorage while serving as the principal and secondary teacher in a small community along the Aleutian Chain. Throughout his work as both a secondary and post-secondary educator, James has worked closely with students on both the high school and college levels in areas related to career and technical education. He has worked with local businesses, teachers, parents and leaders to form school-community partnerships that offer students of all ages and abilities opportunities to explore varied interests that also serve to develop and train a highly skilled, quality workforce.