Bio
James began his housing career in 2006, at a Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) community as a Leasing Consultant and advanced to Assistant Property Manager deepening his expertise in the LIHTC program.
In 2011, James transitioned into the HUD housing sector as a Property Manager with the Oakland Housing Authority (OHA), where he managed the agency’s largest public housing community. Through close collaboration with staff, their team achieved the highest Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC) scores in OHA’s then recorded history. He was promoted to Property Administrator within OHA’s Property Operations Department, managing more than 60 Project-Based Voucher (PBV) scattered-site properties, and later to Senior Property Administrator, where he oversaw the property and asset management of nearly 200 PBV sites throughout Oakland.
James was honored to serve as President of SEIU Local 21’s largest union at OHA. During his tenure, SEIU collaborated with Executive Management to secure a 10.5% COLA for staff, establish a five-year 100% medical vesting period, and transition the agency to a compressed work schedule; these advancements helped improve workplace equity, efficiency, and employee well-being.
In 2019, James joined Equity Residential as an Affordable Program Manager, overseeing compliance for 11 affordable housing programs including, LIHTC, Bond, and local inclusionary programs across 45 communities in California, Washington, Maryland, and Virginia.
Drawing on this experience, James co-founded Paul Edward’s Management & Consulting (PEM), where he serves as co-Chief Executive Officer. James oversees day-to-day operations on PEM’s contracts Housing Authority of Contra Costa County, Marin Housing Authority, and the Housing Authority of the City of Long Beach, where PEM provides HCV case-management and housing inspections services. He also oversees Human Resources and works with the executive team and staff to establish the company’s people focused processes for talent recruitment, salary compensation, onboarding, benefit administration, and performance evaluation. He leads in the development of the training and resources used to enhance staff and housing partners’ understanding of HCV, LIHTC, and regulatory compliance.
James is passionately driven to ensure PEM’s team is equipped with the skills, resources, and knowledge necessary to help lead in the housing industry, while sharing their expertise through creating strong, lasting partnerships with public agencies and affordable housing professionals.
