Jim began listening to public radio in Berkeley during the anti-Viet Nam war years in the mid-60's. With a student discount, he soon became a financial supporter. He went to KPFA and answered phones during fund drives; and he volunteered in the news department. He has been a public radio junkie every since. Jim has never owned a TV, and he never owned a stereo until 1990's. Radio has been his connection with the world. From listening to KVMR, he has become passionate about music he had never heard anywhere before, and he has found a community he believes in.

Since 1973, Jim has been a lawyer. Throughout his legal career he has consistently worked on bankruptcies, but for about 20 years he has worked exclusively as a bankruptcy attorney in Auburn helping families and small businesses in financial distress.

In his non-professional community life, Jim was the first Chairman of Auburn Area Access, Auburn's public television Board of Directors, and at the same time, he was a public member of the Auburn City Counsel's Communications Committee. He has been a member of an Auburn foundation that distributed money to local non-profit organizations for special projects; for example, they bought Auburn's meals-on-wheels program a needed dishwasher. He founded a Toastmasters Club for Placer County employees. Jim was the secretary of an election campaign for Placer County Superior Court Judge. In his private time, he reads, cooks, listens to music, goes hiking, and travels to Mexico.

Jim joined KVMR's Board of Directors in 2009 and became Board Secretary in 2010. He believes that KVMR is key social infrastructure for a vast family of listeners with sophisticated musical taste which the station cultivates. He believes that the station is also key social infrastructure for the delivery of community services in its listening area. In short, he believes that KVMR makes community. Jim became a Director of KVMR in order to do his part to help keep the station vital.