James Shultis (he/they pronouns) is a community educator, advocate, & creative writer currently based in Western Massachusetts, where they live & work on the ancestral lands of the Nipmuc & Pocumtuc peoples.
With almost two decades of experience working in community non-profits, & before that, as a youth advocate, James has combined his passion of education & advocacy together to create innovative trainings for K-12 schools, universities, & a wide array of agencies. They also offer consultation, technical assistance, & support.
Experience
Most recently, James served as Co-Director for Translate Gender, where he worked for almost a decade, an organization centering supporting trans youth, their families/caregivers, & the larger community. He was pivotal in incorporating the grassroots group into a thriving non-profit organization, that remains trans-led & centered advocating for rights & resources to ensure trans youth & their families thrive.
For the last nine years, James has continued his work as a Senior Training Consultant with the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth, providing training & technical support to agencies across the Commonwealth on DEIB topics, policies, & better practices; as well as with PreK-12 schools through the Commission’s Safe Schools Program for LGBTQ Students.
James is proud to have focused a great deal of his work in substance use & recovery spaces as well. From serving on the Massachusetts Bureau of Substance & Addiction Services Trans & Gender Expansive Community Advisory Board as a Consultant; to serving with Massachusetts’ first peer-led addiction recovery center, The RECOVER Project; to his work for Massachusetts Department of Children & Families, as a Substance Use Coordinator providing support, training, & consultation to area office social workers & community based providers in the Western Region on issues related to families impacted by substance use.
Before moving to Massachusetts, James served as Director of Programs at the Pride Center of the Capital Region, the country’s oldest, continuously running LGBTQIA+ community center located in Albany, NY. James also worked as the agency’s Youth Program Manager, where they provided oversight for all youth services including training for K-12 schools & community based organizations, leadership development, & supportive services aimed at improving the lives of LGBTQIA+ youth.
Additional information on LinkedIn.
Board Service
James is has served on a number of non-profit boards including but not limited to Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts (Board Member, 2020-2023); GLSEN Massachusetts (Board Chair, 2021-2023, & Treasurer, 2017-2021); & GLSEN Upstate NY (Board Co-Chair, 2015-2017, & Board Member, 2013-2015).
Education
James holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Queens College (2010) & a BA in English Literature & Gender Studies from Hunter College (2008).
Proud member of:
