James became fascinated with the natural system and native ecology at a young age. He began building habitats such as small koi ponds to attract tree frogs at the age of 11. When he was in high school, his grandmother recommended a career in landscape architecture, which he pursued at the University of Arkansas. After graduating with his bachelor’s degree, he took a job in Little Rock, working for a landscape architecture company that focused on high end residential design work. The work was enjoyable and allowed for creativity but lacked the connection to ecology.
He left the company and the U.S. on a journey of self-reflection to New Zealand where he traveled the country for three months gaining perspective on different sustainable ways of living. After returning, he took a position as a crew leader for a landscape design company to better understand the construction aspect of design. He began to feel the same lack of connection to the natural environment, so he began to look again for a new position.
"I want to contribute to connecting the human world with the natural world. To bridge the gap between us and the natural environment and integrate nature into our world through design."
He started working for an engineering company where he gained large amounts of valuable CAD knowledge and engineering understanding at a large scale. But again, the attachment with Earth was not there, so he left the company and hiked the PCT to immerse himself in nature and observe how natural functions work on a deeper level while also gaining new perspective on his own life goals. When he returned, he reached out to EDG and the rest is history.