James has more than 15 years of diverse experience in the planning, design, and construction of projects serving the public realm, including light rail, bus rapid transit, streetcar corridors, active transportation networks and facilities, complete streets, bridges, and urban open spaces. He brings a unique mix of technical knowledge that spans civil and structural engineering, traffic signal design and operations, transit architecture, green infrastructure, and station-area and urban district development.

Trained as an architect, landscape architect, and urban designer—but practicing within the planning and civil engineering fields—James works beyond the bounds of traditional planning and design, synthesizing ideas and leading teams toward integrated, sustainable, and refined urban infrastructure solutions. James is a Principal at Nelson\Nygaard and Vice President at Perkins+Will, combining the expertise of each firm to tackle the complexities of urban transit corridor design and development projects.