James Mason is an ABD Ph.D Candidate in Enterprise Systems ¹ at the Stevens Institute of Technology, and a Visiting Fellow at Cornell University’s Institute for African Development.  

My dissertation research examines the application of Extended Enterprise Systems; System of Systems; and other Complex Adaptive Socio-Technical Systems frameworks in support of a Human-Capital driven Economic Development model built upon Diaspora Entrepreneurial Networks and Supply Chains.  

My purpose is to play a role in accelerating resident-vested economic-development among the 2.5+Billion People who live on less than $2.00 a day -- with a specific focus on Africa and the African Diaspora.  My research examines the efficacy of a program of human and knowledge capital enrichment, tightly coupled to a network of commercial enterprise.  Although there is a focus on entrepreneurial networks and commercial enterprise, my efforts are fundamentally about capacity building.  My work models and measures the efficacy of an Extended Enterprise System that serves to align talent pipelines with an opportunity rich environment in support of a community development and nation building agenda -- implemented via networks of small and medium sized businesses, managed by and serving the needs of underrepresented populations.

James brings an eclectic background to this effort. Following a career as a trendsetting R&B/Jazz musician, James spent the next 20-years as a high-level strategist and program manager on mission critical Human Capital, ICT, Process Improvement and Organization Development initiatives at the New York Stock Exchange, Panasonic North America -- and for diverse private clients.