Dante J. James has over 25 years of political and legal experience and has worked in senior leadership positions with government and civil society. An attorney by education and training, Mr. James has provided legal representation in private practice, served as an administrative hearing officer as well as political appointee and political consultant. He worked and traveled for the Clinton Administration for almost eight years leading Advance work nationally and internationally. In 2017 he co-founded The Gemini Group, which is a consulting firm that helps city and state government, state legislators, educational institutions, and for-profit and not-for-profit organizations work to address and eliminate institutional and systemic inequities, most specifically starting with race, through training and technical support.

He served as an appointee of the Mayor of Portland, Oregon for six years, as the first director of its city’s civil rights office, the Office of Equity and Human Rights. Prior to that, he was the Colorado State Director for the Center for Progressive Leadership (CPL), a national non-profit organization focused on developing the next generation of progressive leaders. Prior to holding this position, he was appointed by Denver Mayor Wellington Webb to serve as Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Contract Compliance, the City’s Affirmative Action office overseeing the utilization of women and minority owned businesses in city projects. Mr. James is also a long-time trainer, facilitator, and teacher, and community organizer. As an Adjunct Faculty member, he has taught at the University of Colorado at Denver and the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. He also lived and worked in Japan for two years teaching English in Japanese high schools, often giving presentations to Chambers of Commerce on internationalization and cross-cultural communication. Additionally, Dante served in the U.S. Army as a Military Policeman.

As a Government Leader, Dante has worked for four mayoral administrations in two cities, been a loaned executive to a major west coast city, worked for the Clinton Administration, and provided his expertise in consultation with various cities around the country on the creation and implementation of equity offices and their work. He is currently a Senior Fellow with the National Civic League.