Dr. James C. Anderson II is a faculty member in the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication and the Coordinator for the uLEAD Certificate in Leadership and Service at the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens. He also holds an appointment as a leadership education extension specialist where he is responsible for the creation and facilitation of interventions that utilize nontraditional methods to train and support institutional, organizational, and community leaders throughout the state of Georgia. Additionally, he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in leadership studies related to leadership ethics, collaborative problem solving, effective approaches to leadership development, and inclusive leadership practices. Dr. Anderson’s scholarly pursuits are related to the investigation and evaluation of educational and training programs that build human capacity, especially among underrepresented, underserved, and marginalized groups. As a result of the aforementioned activities, he has been invited to give over 100 talks, workshops and presentations on capacity building, both domestically and internationally.

Prior to coming to UGA, Dr. Anderson served as the director of distance and graduate education at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, a teacher educator at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, a secondary career and technical educator at the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, and an account executive for Leo Burnett Advertising Agency in Chicago. Dr. Anderson received his PhD from the University of Missouri in agricultural education, his M.A. from the University of Delaware in economics and entrepreneurship, and his B.S. from the University of Illinois in agricultural education.