James Bell was the founder and executive director of the W. Haywood Burns Institute. He spearheaded a national movement to address racial and ethnic disparities in the administration of the youth justice system. James has trained thousands of human services professionals and community members on a vision of well-being as the most effective way to achieve community safety. In 2016, he was recognized for his “profound contribution to human rights,” by the American Education Research Association Human Rights Award Committee.

His expertise extended into the international justice arena: James assisted the African National Congress in the administration of the juvenile justice system in South Africa and consulted with the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund.