Jim Mccraw Email & Phone Number

Jackson, Mississippi Area

Member since 1981. Currently with Council 848 and Bishop Gerow Assembly #554 in Jackson, MS. Faithful Navigator 1999, Grand Knight 2000-03, District Deputy 2003-07, State Council Director 2002-03, State Hispanic Coordinator 2003-07, Elected to State office in 2007. Proficiencies: Increasing membership, team building, advocate power of relationships, improving image through positive customer service centered projects. Introducing technology for recordkeeping and tracking.

Jackson, Mississippi Area

Jackson, Mississippi Area

Just ended a multi-year commitment as a member of the Board of Directors. My goal was to support and energize the Chapter board while taking advantage of their experiences and vision. Most important is if you can make a difference, you must do it. AITP membership helped me to become an effective manager by improving my team building, leadership and public speaking skills.Motivating paid staff is one thing. Motivating volunteers helps you find other aspects to inspire a desire for excellence. An old timer told me it's a great place to learn from failure without losing your job.As a member, I have increased membership, published Chapter newsletter for 6 years, Served on Association Membership, Awards, Conference and Nominating committees. Region 3 Secretary/Treasurer for 2 yrs, Established Outstanding Member and Outstanding Mississippian Awards in 1983, Served on SIG-Mainframe board 5 yrs and as the Treasurer 1 yr, Student Chapter Liaison 10 yrs, Chapter President 1983, 1994, 1995 and 2010. Chapter attained first of 13 COPA Outstanding Performance Awards in 1983. Served with Triad Leadership Team in 2000. Awarded Lifetime Member status 2006 and qualified for Lifetime Emerald IPA 2008.

Jackson, Mississippi Area

Provide input and oversight on the City's Comprehensive Land Use Plan, Make recommendations for changes to Zoning Ordinances, review applications for zoning changes, variances, etc and, based on evidence presented, as a body, make recommendations to the City Council. In addition, conducted public hearings on zoning matters to insure the public has an opportunity to understand the plan and voice their concerns, opposition and support to the Planing Board.

Jackson, Mississippi Area

McCraw Resources performs limited term contracts within the State of Mississippi. Services include: self-audits and procedural reviews to insure compliance with funding or oversight agency standards, quality assurance services, resolution of customer service challenges, recruiting and retention of staff solutions, and contract staff both on premises and remote. Providing independent insight with discretion and confidentiality is our core business value. McCraw Resources includes a number of highly skilled Project and Business Management professionals with diverse backgrounds and expertise.

This is an excellent "continuing education" organization that now includes data center, networking, systems, facillities and service providers. I joined to improve my expertise, hear the latest best practice trends and emerging technologies. My peer network is global and mutually beneficial. I have yet to attend a conference that can't be cost-justified by one of the ideas I bring back.The Jackson Chapter chartered in 2007 and is an excellent gathering of area DC folks, with vendor presentations and facility tours. I've already connected with vendors who have helped me provide better service to clients.

Participated in development, implementation and periodic review of agency budget.Involved with merging agency under umbrella of Lutheran Episcopal Services in Mississippi. Assisted with fundraising efforts. Attended monthly board meetings with staff & executive director to hear project reports, upcoming community service initiatves and financial reports. Helped with oversight to insure agency remained focused on mission statement.This was an outstanding board that allowed me to get a good understanding of board responsibility and liability, large scale fundraising, and place me in a working relationship with leaders I might otherwise, never meet.

Initially, my role was to act as a liaison between Blade Systems and AITP, in partnership with Kenneth McCardle. That expanded as my experience with data center hardware and facilities, migration to servers and environmentals placed me, as an AITP liaison, on the Data Center End User Advisory Board.

Jackson, Mississippi Area

Jackson, Ms

Jackson, Mississippi Area

Managed 7X24 Data Center. Responsibilities included recruiting, training and developing highly motivated staff. Computer Operations, tape librarians, mainframe maintenance with blend of Staff, 3rd party & OEM Computer Engineers, PC Support & Installation, Cabling (Copper & glass), HelpDesk, coordinated facility upgrades with Architects, Engineers & Contractors, Offsite vaulting and disaster recovery, inventory control of computer equipment inside data center and installed throughout campus, negotiated forms contracts, located and arranged for donation of valuable computer equipment to be used for production and spare parts,saving institution hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Part of leadership team that established this 501C3 to serve as an umbrella group for Belhaven Heights & Belhaven neighborhood associations. Worked with dynamic community leaders to create a sense of solidarity on common issues. My area of expertise was in team building and security. Headed Security Committee in 2002.

Worked with Dr. Sara Weisenberger and Annette Pressley to coordinate a downzoning of Belhaven Heights from Apartments to single family housing, City Historic District expanded to include 85% the downzoned area and had it placed on the National Register of Historic Neighborhoods. Built personal relationships with City departments, Mayor, Police, Sheriff's department and City Council. Enhanced community security and advocated neighborhood image. Increased membership and produced a monthly newsletter.

This group was founded by Data Center Managers in the larger MVS shops in Jackson to address the shortage of skilled operations personnel and address common vendor service problems in the metropolitan area. It was formed under the umbrella of the Jackson Chapter of AITP and SIG-Mainframe. It is the only chapter of SIG-Mainframe in the association. As Chairman, I coordinated facilities, "suitcased in" instructors and invoiced companies. We were able to provide state-of-the-art training with no travel costs to the companies. Improved morale and productivity of our staffs, and instilled a sense of professionalism and confidence in young supervisors.