Eric James

Background

About Eric James

I have a deep passion for helping people in the most dire of circumstances, working to improve the aid sector and sharing what I've learned with others. I began my career in international development with USAID in 1995 and have since worked for a number of NGOs including IMC, IRC, RI and ChildFund as well as the UN. This professional experience spans over twenty countries including Afghanistan, Albania, Burundi, East Timor, Iraq, Liberia, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. I now run Field Ready which is transforming how aid is delivered. I carry out short-term consultancies occasionally. These recent roles have included leadership and management skills, professional effectiveness, facilitation, assessments, organizational start-up and security. I also enjoy teaching. I've held teaching posts at several colleges including the University of Manchester, Richmond University, University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs and I'm current an adjunct at DePaul University's Program on Refugees and Forced Migration. At Minnesota, I've co-directed an annual disaster response simulation for the past five years and running. In addition to a range of academic articles, I've written several books including Managing Humanitarian Relief: An Operational Guide for NGOs (now available in a second edition), a book about the security-development nexus in Afghanistan and co-edited Managing Humanitarian Innovation: The Cutting Edge of Aid. More info can be found here: