Board of Directors

Me’LisA jAMES

fOUNDER & ceo, mj dESIGNS

Me’Lisa James is the Founder & CEO of the business brand MJ Designs: Education & Admin Support (MJD), which provides funding solutions for arts and cultural resources providers.  

Me’Lisa is an alumna of UC Davis and the UC Davis Graduate School of Education. She holds a B.A. in History, minors in Music & Black Studies, a California Teaching Credential; Social Science, and a Masters degree in Education: Lesson Study & Program Development.   

In 2018, Me’Lisa began her journey with San Juan Unified through the district’s community partners program.  For 2 years she co-developed and co-directed youth mentorship programs for middle and high school students in SJUSD.  She has also served the Arden-Arcade community through her participation with the Black Child Legacy Campaign housed at Mutual Assistance Network.

Me’Lisa comes to the Foundation with strong Sacramento centric community engagement skills resulting from 6 years as a public high school Social Science teacher, 2 years in College Student Affairs programming, and 5 years in nonprofit program administration.