Chris James
Immediate Past Chairperson
Councilman, City of East Orange
Christopher D. James was first elected to the East Orange City Council 1st Ward on November 5, 2013. He has worked for the people of New Jersey in various capacities, acquiring close to 20 years in government, policymaking and community organizing. James has a successful history in helping to craft, monitor and move legislation from start to finish, and has earned a reputation as a skilled problem-solver, mediator and negotiator in pursuit of the public good. He has worked as chief of staff for the Honorable Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver and as Deputy Executive Director of the Assembly Democratic Office. He has also served as Executive Director for the New Jersey Democratic State Committee where during his tenure he helped get elected New Jersey’s first African-American Senator Cory Booker and New Jersey’s first African-American Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, and helped to produce the largest Assembly Majority since 1979. He currently serves as the Founder and CEO of James Strategy Group, a full-service consulting firm. James has also served with membership in several organizations including, Co-Chair N.J. Democratic State Committee Black Caucus, East Orange Democratic County Committee, President Emeritus of the N.J. Young Democrats, as Past Chair of Young Democrats of America States Presidents Association, as advisory board member on the Housing and Neighborhood Development Services, Inc. (HANDS) and former member of the Essex County Vocational School Board.