Alisha Shoats James

Alisha James is a dedicated member of the criminal justice community with a passion for assisting government and private industry. Alisha currently serves as the founder and CEO of James Group Consulting, a criminal Justice firm.

During her most recent appointment in government services, Alisha served as Assistant Commissioner for Community Supervision. Where she managed an $84 million budget, oversaw the operations for 44 field offices, and directed 1,200 employees, who helped supervise 77,000 offenders across Tennessee. While serving as Assistant Commissioner, she led her team through implantations of one of Tennessee’s most transformational pieces of criminal justice reform legislation, the Public Safety Act of 2016.

During her appointment, she utilized innovative methods to communicate her vision for the future of community supervision through the increased usage of social media to connect with internal and external stakeholders. Her drive helped the probation and parole division to become one of the few to receive national accreditation from the American Correctional Association. Alisha previously held the role of statewide Probation Administrator. In this role, she was charged with the oversight of statewide probation operations for the agency. She also served as a divisional subject matter expert on firearms and defensive tactics related issues.

In 2011. Alisha joined the United States Probation and Pretrial Services office – Middle District of Tennessee, which is an accredited federal law enforcement agency. During her tenure working for the united states district courts, she conducted investigations and prepared reports that included recommendations for sentencing of individuals convicted of a federal offense. Investigations included cases involving mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, narcotics, firearms violations, and illegal reentry.

From 2004 until 2011, Alisha served as Metropolitan Nashville Police Officer. During her time as a police officer, she served as a patrol officer, undercover detective, training instructor, and background and recruiting investigator. Alisha independently created, developed, and implanted the Metro Nashville Police Department’s internship program, which continues to be used by the agency today.

With nearly 16 years of experience, Alisha has served in some of the most integral parts of the criminal justice system. She is a distinguished leader who is committed to addressing today’s challenges with innovation and measurable results. Her exposure to diverse populations through her field experience and executive service gives her unique insight into some of the most granular and global hurdles facing criminal justice reform.

Alisha conducts domestic and international presentations on topics related to criminal justice reform, pretrial, probation and parole, and law enforcement/community relations.