James E. Lee III is the President and CEO of James Lee Consulting. James is a graduate of Asheville High School and a native of Asheville, North Carolina. James currently resides in Waterloo, Iowa where he continues his work to ensure equity and equality is visible in our communities. His focus on our youth can be seen through his desire to serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Cedar Valley and formerly as the Executive Director of the Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs of Buncombe County.

Through his company, James provides leadership, strategic planning, succession planning, diversity and inclusion workshops, and consultation to businesses, non-profits and churches. As a minister, James is actively engaged with the community and the work of the faith community to bring reconciliation to both.

James is quoted as saying, “Education is the gateway to opportunity!” With his children in public schools, James is committed to their education and their support in the classroom. As a community member, he mentors school age African Americans to provide a positive role model in their lives without a formal program. He has committed himself to lifelong learning and encourages young men, especially those of color, to become teachers. He says, “Diversity in the profession of teaching is necessary to begin to address the education gap that exists between people of color and white students. Our students must see teachers that look like them and who understand their cultural background.”

James was employed by has Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College in the Economic and Workforce Development Department where he worked with industry partners to provide training for their employees and the City of Asheville in Economic Development working with women and minorities to start, grow and expand their businesses. He is active in numerous faith initiatives to bring racial reconciliation and social justice issues to the forefront. He also served on several non-profit boards, including the Center for Diversity Education at UNC-Asheville, the WNC Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week Committee, Building Bridges of Asheville, OnTrack Financial, Mountain BizWorks, the Self-Help Credit Union, and he was active in numerous other professional, civic and community organizations in Asheville and Western North Carolina to provide equal opportunities for women and minorities. James has also served as an appointed official on the Asheville City Schools Board of Education. As a School Board Member, James worked to reduce the achievement gap by critically analyzing efforts and classroom management practices that support youth of color throughout their academic career.

James holds a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Operations Management from American InterContinental University. He is working to obtain a Doctor of Business Administration in Leadership from Capella University.

James has received numerous awards for both his professional, civic and church work within the community. Recently, James was

· invited to apply for the William C. Friday Fellowship Program,

· selected for the Leadership Asheville 33 Cohorts,

· selected for the Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Executive Leadership Institute,

· a recipient of the inaugural class of 40 Under Forty Rising Business Leaders in Asheville,

· received the Minister of the year Award from the Mud Creek Missionary Baptist Association, and

· was invited to become a member of the Sigma Beta Delta International Honor Society in Business, Administration and Management.