James Smith

James Smith was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, with roots in Alabama and Mississippi by way of Cameroon. He has four children, Maya (23), James (22), Morgan (8), and Emmitt (7). He is a Pan Africanist, Humanist, Social Progressive, and Fiscal Conservative. His interests include leadership, economic justice, law, policy, and boxing.

Currently he is consulting for The Heights Movement, a nonprofit based in Lincoln Heights, Ohio, the former largest Black-run municipality north of the Mason-Dixon Line and a safe haven for Blacks combating racism for generations. He also provides legal and finance support to Life Source Transportation and Bailey Real Estate.

Extended Biography

James is highly skilled with experience in law, finance, and sales. He has exceptional communication abilities with the capacity to deliver accurate analysis and provide senior management with key insights. He attained his Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School in 2014 after completing his Master’s in Accounting from Ohio State in 2011. Additionally, he graduated as Salutatorian with a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Howard University in 1998.
 

James’s research interests revolve around the intersectionality between domestic and international law, policy, economic theory, racism, and culture. He has presented his ideas and research on several platforms. He has demonstrated team-leading and influencing abilities through various initiatives he has led, such as economic justice initiatives organized by the Black Law Students Association while at Harvard, as well as work connected to Procter & Gamble and the NAACP.
 

James’s professional experience includes serving as a Tax Attorney at Procter & Gamble, where he was responsible for compliance, planning, M&A, and diversity and inclusion support. He has also held roles including Summer Associate at Dinsmore & Shohl Law, Finance Analyst at First Group America Inc., Finance Analyst at Convergys, Partner and Co-Founder at Corvista, and Buy-Side Analyst at The Capital Group Companies.
 

At First Group America Inc. and Convergys, James was responsible for various aspects of financial analysis including M&A due diligence and modeling, fuel hedging, consolidation of financial plans, and turnaround management. He supported M&A activity by carrying out financial due diligence processes and modeling. He also consolidated and analyzed inputs from division CFOs into the company’s annual multibillion-dollar strategic plans, budgets, and forecasts for executive leadership and the board. While at Convergys, James also served as a program manager supporting a turnaround effort backed by McKinsey & Company, developing and delivering key cross-functional initiative charters and progress reports to the board.
 

James was a Partner and Co-Founder of Corvista. In that role, he was responsible for client development, relationship and contract management, and daily operations. He operationalized a Capital-inspired framework into business and operating plans. He helped grow the startup into a $2 million per year business, fulfilling multiple cross-functional responsibilities including business development and operations leadership. He also managed a $600,000 contract with the Department of Defense’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, helping the company implement its strategic plans successfully.

At Capital Group Companies, he worked as a Buy-Side Financial Analyst responsible for making investment recommendations. He traveled to several countries, including Norway, Finland, Sweden, London, and Israel, to conduct research on advanced technology in the wireless telecom industry. He analyzed financial statements, developed valuation models, and met with top management at leading wireless service providers. His research and analysis provided portfolio managers with valuable insights to support informed investment decisions.