For more than three decades, James has served our community through public service and leadership in a variety of nonprofit and governmental positions. He was unanimously appointed by City Council to the Lynchburg City School Board, where he held both the Chair and Vice Chair positions during his tenure. James also served faithfully on the Lynchburg Planning Commission, responsible for making critical decisions about zoning and land use criteria.

No stranger to working on teams with disparate perspectives, James was also a member of Selection Committees for the Lynchburg City Manager and Fire Chief.

Deeply engaged in education, James has been an instructor in Lynchburg City Schools (LCS) and Central Virginia Community College (CVCC), and now works as the Dean of the School of Religion, Faculty Chair and Professor at the Virginia University of Lynchburg. He has formerly served as the Finance and Audit Chair, Legislative Positions and Federal Relationship Chair and member of the Executive Committee on the Virginia School Boards Association Board of Directors.

James has 35 years of experience in ministry, serving as the Senior Pastor of Providence Transformation Church International (Baptist) since 2001 and is now the President of the Baptist General Convention of Virginia. He also served as the Chaplain of the Lynchburg Sherriff’s Office.

Always advocating for issues close to his heart, James volunteers his time with the Lynchburg Voters League, Churches United for Service in Lynchburg, Rush Homes, FARRR Foundation (affectionately known as The Lighthouse), Lynchburg Democracy Center, and the NAACP. He is also on the Advisory Board for Truist Bank, and previously served on Boards of Lynchburg’s Youth Services Board and the YMCA of Central Virginia.

James is married to Dr. Patricia Denise Williams Coleman. They have four children – Jacqueline, James, Joy, and Majesty – all of whom are proud products of Lynchburg City Schools.

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