residents and youth to create and establish a venue for authentic community partnership with public and private development projects.
BUILD’s mission is to connect community residents and businesses to economic and community building opportunities generated by development projects. Mr Caldwell’s commitment to BUILD reflects his understanding that many of the community challenges he has been combating over the past 11 years is related the lack of equitable access to opportunities in the pursuit of prosperity among all youth, adults and businesses.

James also serves as President of the 77TH Precinct Community Council. Over the past 7 years under his leadership the 77TH Precinct Community Council has evolved into one of the most, if not the most, productive and engaged precinct councils in the city. His tenure as president of the precinct council has afforded him the opportunity to meet and form working relationships with legislators, pastors, business owners, local professionals and hundreds of residents. Building relationships is one of James’ core values. Being an advocate and spokesperson for community residents, businesses and issues informs how he brokers relationships. Another of his core values is ensuring that organizations, services and information are equally accessible to people; amending the by-laws of the precinct council so that its monthly meetings could be held in venues throughout the community versus only having meetings at the precinct reflects this core value of equitable access. Mr Caldwell’s faith in God, ability to formulate and implement solutions to challenges as well as inspire and motivate people to effective action belies many of his successes as a leader.

Serving as the Board Chairperson for North Crown Heights Family Outreach Center (NCHFOC) illustrates James’s commitment to family preservation and helping people conquer the challenges of alcohol and drug addition. While his military background and extensive work with the Police Department reflects his value for law and order, he has compassion and understands the complex factors that fuel despair, disillusionment, alienation and the need to escape reality among people, especially those who have been oppressed and marginalized by our society.

In 1994 James served as Chairperson for the Ryerson Street Veterans Committee. In 1994 contrary to Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary, Jesse Brown’s Community Based Care initiative, the Director of the Brooklyn VA Medical Center, unilaterally decided to close the Ryerson Street Outpatient Clinic and consolidate the care given to over 3,000 veterans in and around Downtown Brooklyn with the facility located in the Bay Ridge / Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn; an action clearly opposed to James’s core value of equitable community access and would result in a loss of vital services to Downtown Brooklyn African-American and Latino veterans. Consequently, he spearheaded the organization of local stakeholders to keep veteran services in Downtown Brooklyn.

Mr Caldwell’s public service career was launched in 1993 when several youth from his block asked him to organize a Block Party. He served as the President of the Grand-Dean Block Association for five years from 1993 to 1998.