About James

I grew up in Chico, attending Sierra View Elementary, Bidwell and Pleasant Valley High where I was a varsity athlete and honor student. PV was also where I met my wife, Kelli, with whom I've shared 35 years and eight children. During high school, I had a paid internship in the oncology department at Enloe hospital, working under Dr. Phil Heintz. After graduation, I studied at UC San Diego and won multiple paid research internships. I also began tutoring and discovered a love for teaching. After beginning graduate research and considering a PhD in biophysics, I returned to Chico to be close to my large extended family and start my own, marrying Kelli in 1989. This led to a Computer Science MS after which I rejoined Dr. Heintz and began working at his groundbreaking Medical Physics software startup. Beginning in computational biology, I advanced quickly to serve as Engineering Manager, Project Manager and Regulatory Affairs Officer.

Throughout these years I continued to feel a draw toward education. I found outlets teaching courses at Butte College and Chico State, tutoring and eventually homeschooling my own children through Camptonville Academy (now CORE Butte Charter). Finally, in 2002, I put medical physics aside for a year and taught at Camptonville while, in my spare time, obtaining teaching credentials in Math, Physics & Chemistry. In 2006 I accepted an invitation from the University of the Nations to join their staff as an IT Project Manager in Kona. This began an extraordinary decade-long adventure that would take too long to recount here. But you can follow the links to picture galleries below if you're interested:

In 2016 we returned to Chico where I took a position at SunGard developing financial and business software and taught at Chico State on the side. Just as our focus was shifting a bit more inward, 2020 came and we were jolted out of our complacency. By July of 2020 I had discovered powerful evidence that schools must open in the fall or the consequences would be dire. I had to speak up. I sent my research to the principals of Wildflower and Inspire where my daughter and son attended as well as the CUSD board. In August I attended my first of many CUSD board meetings. I was also contacted by parents and board members of local charters and asked to share my findings. Eventually, I was invited to run for the board of CORE Butte Charter. I accepted, and am now serving my second term. I also serve on CORE's Charter Advisory Counsel. Last year, in response to an alarming surge in students failing to achieve proficiency in math, I rolled up my sleeves and began volunteering three days a week. [SEE MY RESUME]

As a Chico Unified trustee, I will bring this same passion, experience and practical mindset to the service of all CUSD schools.