Dr. James Leiman is a transformative leader, proud Army veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom, and former cabinet leader in government. During his four-year tenure at the North Dakota Department of Commerce, he led and attracted more than $40 billion in global investment for the state-sourcing deals from the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and North America (the North Dakota economy is only $63B for perspective). In addition, he developed and deployed the nation’s fastest clean energy transformation in North Dakota’s quest to become the first carbon neutral U.S. state by 2030 leveraging innovation, private equity, and sovereign wealth funds. He has briefed heads of state, multinational company CEOs, and ministerial level leaders throughout the world; testified in front of the U.S. Senate; and hosted dignitaries.
Collectively, Dr. Leiman has more than 20 years of leadership experience and, prior to his stint in North Dakota, he delivered the nation’s third largest public logistics and supply chain program. He also has led three successful organizational overhauls yielding solid results. In addition, he spent more than 10 years in the Intelligence Community and speaks Spanish, Italian, and French. He holds a Ph.D. from North Dakota State University and focused his research on intermodal transportation in Central America.