A Living-Learning Community for Engineers Interested in Entrepreneurship: Looking Back at the First Year

Thomas James received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering and an Executive MBA from Marquette University. He has a MS in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. Dr. James is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and is a registered Professional Engineer (PE). His major interests are new product development and global business ventures. He teaches courses in management and entrepreneurial studies. In addition to teaching, Dr. James directs the ESCALATE program, a living-learning community focused on integrating entrepreneurship and technical disciplines. Dr. James is also an avid inventor with over a dozen patents and he has several publications in peer reviewed journals related to his research in biomechanical systems. Prior to joining academia, he worked in the consumer products industry for 13 years where he was the Director of Engineering at Milwaukee Electric Tool. Following an acquisition by Techtronic Industries, he became the Senior Vice President of Global Engineering for the power tools division, headquartered in Hong Kong, where he lived and worked.