James is a licensed Professional Engineer in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Maine, Vermont, and the District of Columbia. He received a BS in mechanical engineering and a BA in philosophy from the University of New Hampshire. He is also a lifetime member and leader in Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) having served as chair of the board of directors, and co-chair of the Boston Building Energy Conference. From 2020 through 2021, James served as co-chair of the Citizen Response Task Force, a 21-person committee charged with making recommendations to Portsmouth city officials related to COVID-19.