James often quips that he was involved with the internet before people could spell “www”.
With 30 years of experience ranging from startup companies reaching their IPOs to helping shape industry giants such as Cisco Systems, James has excelled at all levels within industry, government, and non-profits. James has faced the challenges of small business where there must be advances daily in order to meet payroll “next Friday”. He has excelled with large industry that faces the pressures of Wall Street’s expectations every 90 days for a publicly traded company. He has engaged government in public-private partnerships at the highest of levels. He has given extensively in time, talent, and treasure to a wide breath of non-profit organizations. A software engineer by collegiate training, James also has a degree in business.
Startup IPO to Fortune 100 Global Executive Experience: From 1989 to 1992 James was involved on the ground level of three startup internet technology companies that all reached a successful Initial Public Offering (IPO) or acquisition exit. He then went on to spend 14 years at Cisco Systems in a range of executive roles, responsible for a P&L $500M+, Market Capture of $6B+, Teams up to 400+, and all aspects of business including sales, marketing, engineering, specialized manufacturing, public relations, and more.
In his contribution to making Cisco Systems, James grew Cisco’s commercial business in the Southeast US 180% in one year and the expanded Federal government business 300% in 3 years. At the request of John Chambers, Cisco’s CEO, James formed Cisco’s Global Government Alliances organization. Three years later he conceptualized and established Cisco’s Global Defense and Space organization. James then pioneered Cisco’s Global Government Solutions Group. James left Cisco in 2006 as Vice President and Chief Strategist for Cisco’s Global Government Solutions Group, having leadership responsibility for the government market that represented over 20% of Cisco’s $26B total annual business at that time.
Global Government Experience: James served as the Chairman of the Internet Architecture Task Force for the NSTAC (National Security Telecommunications Advisory Council), an advisory council to the President of the United States. NSTAC provides the President a forum in which expertise not available inside of government can offer recommendations for national security and emergency preparedness. James has held some of the nation’s highest security clearances. In the response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the US, James’ leadership was instrumental in facilitating the coordination of industry’s response to the national needs of the United States.
James has served as a Board Director of United States Technology Training Institute (USTTI), a non-profit joint venture between leading US based communications, IT corporations and leaders of the Federal government who together provide tuition-free management, policy and technical training for talented professionals from the developing world. He has also been Board Directors for AFCEA, the USO-Metro, Highway One, and other industry/government education focused organizations.
Current Professional focus: After taking some time to invest in his family of 4 boys and give back / pay forward in other ways, James has re-emerged into the for profit sector providing consulting services for high tech, green tech, and emerging technology companies. Following VC leaders such as Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB) James has broadened his interests and expertise beyond high tech to involve emerging energy and green technologies. These include geothermal, biodiesel, alternative energy, waste-to-energy. James also is currently involved in controlled environmental agriculture which involves organic produce grown year round indoors to provide food to major population centers as well as remote communities or groups.
In 2006 James formed Loom Enterprises where he makes available his broad experience as a consultant to start-ups, Fortune 100, or government entities. With expertise in forming organizational relationships ranging from traditional M&A to alliances to public-private partnerships, James teaches and equips leaders of companies, governments, educational institutions and non-profit organizations on how to form relationships that transform and create exponential growth and achievement of vision.
Author and Instructor: After many requests to place his knowledge and experience into an easy to use book format, James authored “The Six Strand Weave”. Writing under the pen name of James Christopher Massa’, James feels a great burden to bring timeless principles to the local and global leaders through sharing the “Relationship Wheel”, a guide on how to form successful organizational Relationships and how to avoid those that are likely to fail.
Global non-Profit Experience: USA Today noted James’ fresh approach to philanthropy in 2000 as he founded LTG “Learn to Give” Foundation to help Silicon Valley executives connect their personal areas of interest with support of charitable works in those same areas. James is a CS Lewis Fellow having been a member of the first graduating class of the CS Lewis Institute, then led by Tom Tarrants. His extensive non-profit interests include having been mentored by Larry Burkett and Howard Dayton, serving as an SVP for Crown Financial Ministries while advising on several organizational initiatives, such as restructuring for global reach, relationship in marketplace ministry, and refinement of core values. James’ history of establishing alliances among non-profits includes Crown, Saddleback/Purpose Driven, Focus on the Family, Southern Baptist Convention, and industry technology providers Drake Software and In2M.
James has provided interim executive support for non-profits such as being the Interim COO for FCCI, Fellowship of Companies for Christ, International, a non-profit organization that teaches timeless principles for running a business. He has also served as the Interim CEO for Walk Thru the Bible, a non-profit organization founded in 1976 by Bruce Wilkinson. During that tenure James oversaw the spinning off and independent re-launch of non-profit international ministry Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram which is currently on 900+ radio stations globally. James is an advocate-at-large for LaRed Business Network, has been deeply involved with non-profit Guatemala Prospera, is facilitator of the Loom Fund and is Chairman and Founder of non-profit, Kingdom Purposes.
Personal: James enjoys fitness, guitar, and photography of his family. His passion is to help charitable organizations and businesses impact the world for good both locally and globally.
Loom Enterprises.....C-Suite and Executive Consultation 