Appointed to provide academic and administrative leadership for system-wide goals to dramatically improve degree completion rates. This includes advocacy for legislative budget support, advancing academic policy reforms, and supporting faculty innovation in the largest and most diverse four-year system in the nation.

James was appointed by the White House as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office of Postsecondary Education at the U.S. Department of Education. James was selected to provide overall leadership and administration for federal programs designed to expand access to higher education, strengthen institutional capacity and to promote postsecondary innovation. He was responsible for administering and leveraging programs available for postsecondary institutions such as the State College Access Challenge Grants, GEAR-UP, Title III and Title V programs, The Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), and TRIO are a few programs totaling nearly $3 billion dollars annually. His office was responsible for more than $7.5 billion in active programming across the nation and U.S. territories.