Dr. James Leiman is a transformative leader, a proud Army veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom, and a former cabinet leader in government. During his four-year tenure at the North Dakota Department of Commerce, James led and attracted over $40 billion in global investment for the state- sourcing deals from the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and North America (ND economy is only $63B for perspective). In addition, he developed and deployed the nation’s fastest clean energy transformation in ND’s quest to become the first carbon-neutral U.S. State by 2030 leveraging innovation, private equity, and sovereign wealth funds. James has briefed heads of state, multinational company CEOs, and ministerial-level leaders throughout the world; testified in front of the U.S. Senate and has hosted dignitaries.

Collectively, Dr. Leiman has over 20 years of leadership experience and prior to his stint in North Dakota, he delivered the nation’s third-largest public logistics and supply chain program. James also has led three successful organizational overhauls yielding solid results. In addition, James spent over 10 years in the Intelligence Community and speaks Spanish, Italian, and French. James holds a Ph.D. from North Dakota State University and focused his research on intermodal transportation in Central America and has taught over 100 undergraduate and graduate courses.