Rich James

What He’s Passionate About

Rich loves creating effective, efficient, and enjoyable learning experiences that make a difference for learners and their organizations.

Professional Experience

Rich worked for seven years as a public TV producer, director, and editor before transitioning to work in higher education. Over 19 years he played the roles of technologist, instructional designer, facilitator, trainer, internal consultant, curriculum designer, systems manager, and performance coach. Throughout this work Rich has been keenly interested in bridging the research on learning to real-world needs. Most of all, he loves solving the “puzzles” posed by complex learning and performance challenges.

What People Say About Rich

Rich has a knack for finding a way to frame or describe a challenge or goal that gives it greater clarity. He gets below the surface details to identify deeper needs and opportunities to address that will make the original objectives more comprehensive and effective. He makes connections to other priorities to bring everything into alignment.

Favorite Book

Rich’s favorite book is Stranger In A Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein. It's about a boy raised by Martians who tries to understand earthlings. The Martian neologism "Grok" is used throughout. On the surface, it means to understand in a deep way. But it also has complex spiritual dimensions. Rich read the book long ago but still finds himself saying he needs to "Grok this" about a new subject or challenge before he can do anything meaningful with it.

Fun Facts

Rich is a serious recreational runner. He likes setting race goals and figuring out how he can perform his best when the time comes.
Rich produces a weekly music show on Radio614.org. His chosen format is to play newly released music, local music, and music by artists playing upcoming concerts.
Rich enjoys reading about astronomy and space exploration and any well-researched book on learning, social psychology, and the mind.