James joined Involve in December 2022, and leads network and membership development on the UK Democracy Network. His role is focused on enhancing the capacity of organisations and individuals across the UK democracy sector and increasing the strength and quality of connection between them.
James is the Network and Development Lead for The Democracy Network. Prior to joining Involve, James directed the Centre for Democracy, working to develop the network infrastructure of the UK democracy sector, improving collaboration and strengthening efforts across the space.
James has worked across a range of different roles associated with technology, community development and political campaigning. He began his career developing a community of technologists working with real-time sensor open data, before co-founding award-winning air quality non-profit AirPublic. He went on to work with California-based political fundraising startup Crowdpac, delivering political analysis and mentoring political campaigns.
During the 2017 General Election, James led a team to launch the viral mobile game Corbyn Run reaching more than 1.6 million voters, building on the game’s success to co-found the pioneering UK Labour Party affiliated game development studio Games for the Many.
His other roles have included as co-founder of Campaign Lab, a community of political technologists focused on electoral campaigning innovation, co-founder of Common Knowledge, a nonprofit workers cooperative building digital infrastructure for grassroots social movements and as a National Coordinator of Extinction Rebellion.
James graduated with a degree in Politics & International Relations from the University of Westminster in 2014, focusing on democratic innovation and political simulation.