James is a champion for shifting power and resources to communities where wealth has been historically extracted. He leverages prior experiences in venture capital, grant-making, and law to ensure that capital can be a resource for financial empowerment. James is currently a manager at Candide Groups Afterglow Climate Justice Fund, which lends to organizations serving communities living in persistent poverty, facing high energy costs, lacking access to clean transportation, and disproportionately suffering from the effects of extreme weather. Before joining the Afterglow Climate Justice Fund, James worked as an investment analyst at the Skoll Foundation, supporting climate justice social innovation that centered Black and Brown led solutions from the Global South to US South. He also designed impact assessment frameworks and performed diligence for mission-related investments in underrepresented fund managers.
James is a proud Ghanaian immigrant who made his way from Connecticut to Georgia before switching coasts and settling in the Bay Area during graduate school. James completed his JD/MBA at Golden Gate University, where he supplemented his coursework with roles in venture capital, early-stage technology companies, and technology licensing. His Ghanian heritage and prior experiences create his northstar to bolster access to capital for people of color and empower community self-determination.