CINCINATTI
James Smith, President
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 non- profit based in Lincoln Heights Ohio, former largest black run municipality north of the Mason Dixon Line and safe haven for Blacks combating racism for generations. He also provides legal and finance support to Life Source transportation and Bailey Real Estate.
James is highly skilled with experience in Law, Finance, and Sales. He has exceptional communication abilities with the capacity to deliver accurate analysis, providing senior management with key insights. He attained his Juris Doctorate degree from Harvard Law School in 2014 after completing his Masters 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 his team- leading skills, influencing qualities through various initiatives he has led, such as the economic justice initiatives organized by the Black Law Students Association while at Harvard, Procter & Gamble, and the NAACP.
James's professional experience includes Tax Attorney at Procter & Gamble, where he was responsible for compliance, planning, M& A; diversity and inclusion support. Additionally, he has held different roles, including the positions of a Summer Associate at Dinsmore & Shohl Law, Finance Analyst at First Group America Inc., Finance Analyst at Convergys, Partner/ 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 turn- around management. He provided M& A support by carrying out financial due diligence processes and modeling. He consolidated and analyzed the inputs from the division’ s CFOs into the companys’ annual multi- billion strategic plans, budgets and forecasts for the CFO and board. While at Convergys James also served as a program manager supporting a turnaround effort supported by McKinsey & Company. He developed, managed, and delivered key cross functional turnaround initiative charters and progress reports to the Board.
James was a Partner/ Co- Founder of Corvista. In this capacity, he was responsible for client development, relationship and contract management, and daily operations. James operationalized a Capital inspired framework into business and operating plans. He played a key role in growing the start- up to a $ 2 million/ year business, fulfilling multiple cross- functional roles, including business development and operations director. Additionally, he managed a $ 600 , 000 contract with the Department of Defense' s Defense Advanced Research Project Agency. Overall, his efforts helped the company grow and implement i ts strategic plans successfully.
At Capital Group Companies he worked as a Buy Side Financial Analyst. In his position, he was responsible for making investment recommendations. Traveling to several countries, including Norway, Finland, Sweden, Scandinavia, London, and Israel, to conduct research on advanced technology for the wireless telecom industry. He analyzed financial statements, developed valuation models, and met with top management of leading wireless service providers. His research and analysis provided valuable insights for the portfolio managers, enabling them to make informed investment decisions.