James is a founding member of Land of Enchantment Wildlife Foundation and has served as chair of LEWF for 6 years. In 2013, James graduated from the Anderson School of Business with a Bachelor of Business in Operations Management. Upon graduation, James returned to Los Alamos and hired as a full-time employee at LANL. In 2015, the County Council appointed James to the Environmental Sustainability Board. He would continue to serve on the ESB until his election to the County Council in 2018

A passionate supporter of wildlife and nature, James championed mitigation efforts to help make Los Alamos a Bear Friendly community. Through these efforts, Land of Enchantment Wildlife Foundation collaborated with the Pajarito Environmental Education Center to bring the first Bear Festival to New Mexico.