James Harris began his career working at the bedside, specializing in mental health nursing. Working his way through graduate school he combined his passion of nursing with education. Throughout his extensive career, which began in Alabama and took him throughout the nation, James provided direction and leadership to hospitals, academic institutions, and governmental entities by his unwavering example of character, integrity and compassionate engagement. Since 2009, he has served our nation in a major role as the Deputy Chief Nursing Officer for the Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C. A dedicated professional, James is responsible for the planning and formulation of national policies and activities for over 80,000 nursing staff in the delivery of health care to our nation’s heroes, our veterans. Leading change through practice, his work directly impacts the development of new nursing roles and education for our next generation of nurses. Recognized nationally with numerous awards and accolades, he is an experienced nursing professor, clinical practitioner, scholarly author, and the national expert on Clinical Nurse Leaders. James continues to serve as a resource and expert mentor to others. With a true servant’s heart, James Harris’ selfless dedication to patients with psychiatric illnesses and our military veterans is nothing short of admirable.