Managing Director at First Republic Champions Posse
“I’m such a believer in Posse and what it stands for,” says James. “It’s transformative in education and in work environments—wherever Scholars are present and leading.”
“James brings to the table years of Posse experience, which has fueled his passion and dedication to our Scholars’ success,” says Tamara Craver, the director of Posse Los Angeles. “We’re lucky to have his leadership.”
The youngest of seven siblings, James grew up in South Londonderry, Vermont, and spent part of his childhood in England, his mother’s home country. He later attended boarding school in Connecticut, paid for by the town of South Londonderry, which was too small to financially support its own high school.
“Boarding school really prepared me for college,” James recalls. “I had already been away from home, and I was academically ready.”
James attended Middlebury College, following three of his older siblings, and majored in political science, economics and French. He played rugby all four years and also proudly founded a successful campus laundry business, Middlebury Wash & Carry, which still exists today.
James remembers a much less diverse campus during his years at Middlebury.
“Middlebury now has 120 Posse Scholars across campus; that’s about five percent of the student body,” he says. “The school looks more like America now.”
“I’m such a believer in Posse and what it stands for.”
After graduating from Middlebury, James explored a career in politics, interning on Capitol Hill with then-Vermont Senator Jim Jeffords. He went on to become the deputy to the spokesman for the House Ways & Means Committee (fellow Middlebury alumnus Ari Fleisher) and later press secretary for Congressman Bill Archer of Texas.
James left politics in 1998 to pursue an MBA from Columbia Business School.
“I didn’t have much exposure to a diverse student body until I went to Columbia,” he says, reflecting on his education. “To be surrounded by people who have different perspectives makes you better in your career and in your attitude towards life.”
“James is an outstanding person. We are very fortunate to have him on the national board and leading the Posse LA board,” says Posse President and Founder Deborah Bial. “He is generous, deeply committed and always determined to recruit as many supporters as possible into the Posse network. He and Tamara make a great team.”
James points to Posse’s exponential growth and says he expects the next 10 years will see even more alumni rising to the tops of their fields.
Posse Foundation and First Republic
Beyond James’ leadership bringing both organizations together, the broader First Republic entity supports Posse both nationally and on the local site level. Visit this news story to learn more about First Republic’s support of the Posse Foundation.
