Dr. James Brown has been providing leadership in transformative strategic initiatives by managing teams with companies in all phases of their business lifecycle for more than 20 years. After a 10 year career in streamlining and managing production in the printing and publishing industry as a senior production manager and publisher, Dr. Brown in 1995 co-founded and was Vice President of Strategic Planning and Professional Services for Clear Ink where he was responsible for managing strategic initiatives for clients like E*Trade, Ascend Communications, Pacific Bell (SBC), Cisco Systems and Sun Microsystems among an extensive and diverse client list. Clear Ink was one of the fastest growing privately held companies in the San Francisco Bay Area for three consecutive years and Dr. Brown helped manage the company and its Blue Chip client roster through 5 years of significant growth. During his time at Clear Ink, Dr. Brown landed at the forefront of distance learning when he was contracted to design and develop one of the first online university infrastructures for Harcourt Brace using the math and science curricula from their Archipelago division.

While in the Bay Area, Dr. Brown co-founded and served as president for the public/private non-profit partnership NapaNet which funded and established one of the first successful community networks serving every school and school child in Napa County. In 2000, Dr. Brown returned to Santa Barbara and provided startup project and operational management for the international investment firm Bertelsmann Ventures until taking an executive position with Tenet Healthcare in 2001. While with Tenet, Dr. Brown served on the human resources executive committee responsible for implementing professional development, educational leadership, and clinical education and compliance initiatives for the entire organization. He developed a successful enterprise blended learning and training program serving 135,000 employees. He worked with operators and educators in Tenet’s 120 acute care facilities nationwide to develop enterprise performance improvement initiatives and to implement the support infrastructure for various quality improvement programs related to clinical education and federal compliance. These programs utilized a blended-learning environment that was both high-tech and high-touch; leveraged the organizations extensive clinical subject matter expertise; and used an interactive project-based, 21st century skills learning framework. All programs were outcomes-driven, grounded in each a facilities needs for quality improvement, and applied evidence-based professional development programs centered on data assessed needs for overall improvement of competencies. Program effectiveness was measured against nationwide industry performance standards and hospital quality objectives. Dr. Brown later applied the same outcome and evidence based principles of learning to the development of a first of its kind online transformative coaching environment for Sisney, Inc.

Recently, Dr. Brown performed strategic planning, business analysis and project management for companies like John Muir/Mt. Diablo Health Systems, Bargain Network, National Third Age Foundation, Sisney, Inc., Atuli, Inc., and Generation 21 Learning Systems as a consultant. During this time, he was also a part-time educator for Santa Barbara City College and Carpinteria High School where he taught design, digital media, and project management.

Dr. Brown has served on the board of directors and advisory boards for several prominent non-profit organizations in both Santa Barbara and Napa.

Currently, Dr. Brown teaches Digital Media Design & Criticism at New Technology High School and serves in the Center for Excellence developing innovative and nationally recognized programs for 21st Century Learning and professional development curriculum for tomorrow’s teachers. He also is a facilitator and counselor for various psycho-educational groups addressing professional leadership and transformative coaching, along with educational programs for court ordered groups in the development of emotional and cognitive awareness. In addition, Dr, Brown serves as adjunct faculty at Napa Valley College and Napa Valley Adult Education.

Dr. Brown recently created integrated units in social science for the University of California Curriculum Institute based on Common Core and CTE Pathway Standards. He also created blended courses and is a Program Specialist for CTE Online, and was recently selected to participate in the initiation of the California Career Technical Online Project (CTOP).

Dr. Brown has his undergraduate degree from University of California at Santa Barbara and his Masters and Doctorate from Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, California. He lives in Napa with his wife Alison who is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.

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