About me

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James is a former U.S. Army infantry officer, career Foreign Service Officer, entrepreneur, and author who has spent nearly three decades operating at the intersection of high-stakes decision-making, systems design, and strategic negotiation.  

Across assignments on five continents, he has built coalitions, navigated multilateral forums, and driven outcomes in environments where every word, vote, and relationship counts. His diplomatic work encompasses counterterrorism policy, international technology standards, law enforcement partnerships, and political-economic strategy, often under intense time pressure and with competing global interests at the table.  

James has led complex, multi-day negotiations against adversaries and with allies, securing agreements that help shape governance for billions of people. Before his diplomatic career, he served as a U.S. Army infantry and military police officer, leading a rifle platoon through 480+ combat missions in Iraq. He has managed multimillion-dollar security portfolios, conducted joint operations with partner forces, and worked in diverse settings ranging from jungle counternarcotics missions to the United Nations General Assembly floor.  

Additionally, he founded and scaled Jammock®, a patented outdoor product business that generated $1.3M in revenue while he worked full-time in government. This entrepreneurial experience, which involved building lean, efficient systems under real-world constraints, informs his approach to Subtraction Strategy: reclaiming time, money, and mental bandwidth by eliminating low-value work.  

James is the author of Discipline by Subtraction: The Art of Strategic Laziness, a field manual for professionals, leaders, and anyone serious about doing less, better. His doctrine has been shaped in combat zones, diplomatic conference rooms, and the startup grind, aimed at those already operating at a high level who want to operate smarter.  

He holds an M.A. in Writing from Johns Hopkins University, is a former Mensa member, and an Eagle Scout. 

Lastly, but most important, James is a husband and father, his most difficult and most prioritized jobs.

Disclaimer: All views expressed on this site are solely those of the author in his personal capacity. They do not represent the views of the U.S. Department of State or any other organization or entity of the United States Government.