Jim is an organizational consultant specializing in strategy, effectiveness, and change. He is relentlessly focused on releasing the potential of leaders and organizations. His client list spans a wide variety of organizations including foundations, associations, universities, agencies, ministries, congregations, denominations, and businesses. Jim holds the Doctor of Education degree in Curriculum and Supervision from Northern Illinois University, where the faculty nominated his doctoral research for the prestigious Dissertation of the Year Award. He holds the Masters degree in Christian Formation and Ministry from Wheaton College where he also completed his undergraduate work in Christian Education. In addition, he has served as Adjunct Faculty at Wheaton College for ten years and Judson University for five years.
As an author, Jim has written many best-selling books and instructional resources. He has been published by Zondervan, Tyndale House, Thomas Nelson, Baker, Navpress, Moody, Intervarsity Press, Concordia, and Focus on the Family. He has won the C.S. Lewis Medal Award for Children’s Literature three times and has been honored by the ECPA as a Gold Medallion Award Finalist 15 times. His products have been translated into more than 37 languages around the world. He is most well known as the co-creator and co-senior editor of the best-selling Life Application Study Bible. Jim is the former National Training Director for Youth for Christ where he was responsible for the ongoing leadership development of all full-time staff. He is the co-founder and former Vice President of Livingstone, the largest provider of outsourced services to Christian publishers in the nation. Jim lives in Elgin, Illinois with his wife Kathleen. They have two adult children. Their son works as an audio engineer and their daughter as a graphic designer. Jim serves as the Chair of the Board for the Caspari Center in Jerusalem which takes him to Israel frequently.