After earning a BS in mathematics from Mississippi College in 2004, James received a MS degree in Mathematics from Mississippi State University in 2006. Upon graduating from MSU, James spent one year as a mathematics teacher at Pisgah High School in Rankin County Mississippi. Beginning in 2007 James became a Transportation Planner for the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT). In his role as a Planner, he managed feasibility studies and engaged in all aspects of the planning process. During his time at MDOT, James developed several applications to create planning cost estimates. In addition to working as a Planner for MDOT, James was also an adjunct instructor for Mississippi College.
In the Fall of 2018, James became a Senior Research Associate at Mississippi State University's Institute for Systems Engineering Research(ISER) . During this time James has contributed to several projects, taught several college courses and completed a second master's degree —a Master of Engineering (MENG) from MSU. Upon completion of this degree James became a Research Engineer.
At ISER James set up a predictive maintenance lab at MSU's Center for Advance Vehicular Systems. He took the lead in integrating the work from several additive maintenance projects into MSU's Data Analytics and Visualization System (DAVS). James has initiated and served as the Principal Investigator for three projects with MDOT. These projects have ranged from the development of applications for cost estimating to analyzing MDOT's traffic count program. In addition to his work at ISER, James serves on the Construction Engineering and Management board of the Institute for Industrial and Systems Engineers. He also teaches sections of Introduction to Engineering to dually enrolled students in the Vicksburg Warren School District (VSWD).