James Rodriguez

Dr. James C. Rodríguez, M.S.W. serves as the Chief Executive Officer and President of Fathers & Families Coalition of America, Inc. James cultivated the vision to form a group of service providers in Arizona to improve children and families' lives with one of the nation's first Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Fatherhood Grants that served over 5000 young parents annually for a decade through the power of collaboration. Through the key to coalition development, James authored grants that amassed well over forty-millions of grant funding to support the needs of low-income families and communities were designed to provide effective services to in-risk individuals. Besides, James has served as Principal Investigator for national awarded grants he designed as an example by the U.S. Office of Refugees and Relocation USDHHS for the Somali Association of Arizona, Center for Disease Control – Capacity Building Programs, South Region, National Hispanic HIV/AIDS prevention, as Senior Researcher/Consultant for the Oregon Center for Applied Science: National Institute of Mental Health Hispanic/Latino and African American national community for the Parent Depression Research project. James served as a Senior Researcher for Arizona State University's Hispanic Family Research project.

His vision to champion healthy families through increased professional development led to supportive curricula with a proven foundation of twenty-two years hosting the Families and Fathers Annual Conference. Teaching is a professional passion of James as well as curriculum development. The passion has led to programs in rural communities, tribal nations, inner-city, and the first Caribbean fatherhood and families' conference in Puerto Rico and Jamaica, Africa, and Australia to support professional development to people from over ninety-nations as a global platform. The vision of FFCA has extended into many contributions in social justice and public policy efforts. In 2020 the experiences led to the new offices in Puerto Rico for a new journey to intersect professional development, coalition development, advocacy with a center of policy and leadership development. James created the O.A.R. Leadership Institute and curricula for the Transforming Leadership & Management Institute and the Center for Latino Initiatives of Fathers and Families Coalition of America. The creation of nonpartisan educational and policy institutes to center on expanding professionals' skills, knowledge, and leadership support, focusing on Latinos and others with a bilingual added experience is a new blueprint and blended with James' purpose in service with others.
Dr. Rodríguez has been awarded several recognitions for his professional service, The Presidential Lifetime Call to Service Recipient – Office of the President of the United States of America – Hon. President Barack Obama - the Corporation for National and Community Service by the Points of Light Institute, Congressional Certificate of Honor – U.S. House of Representatives 18th Congressional District of Texas, Sheila Jackson-Lee, Proclamation of Leadership U.S. House of Representatives 35th Congressional District of California, Maxine Waters, Congressional Certificate of Recognition, U.S. House of Representatives 33rd Congressional District of California, Diane E. Watson, Congressional Certificate of Recognition, U.S. House of Representatives 13th Congressional District of California, Barbara Lee. A Points of Light Recipient for working with youth in gangs while serving active duty in the Armed Forces. 100 Black Men of America's Phoenix Chapter for developing programs and mentoring young men/boys, and the State of California 47th District, California State Senate, and County of Los Angeles but all honors, James was immensely honored and humbled by Qutekcak Native Tribe, an Alaskan Tribe's ceremonial Elder proclamation with several local and other national recognition.

Professor Rodríguez established 20 human development courses for Mesa Community College in Arizona and had served as a Professor for MCC and State Director for Cornell University's Family Worker Development Credential and Faculty at Mesa Community College. Professor Rodríguez developed 13 courses (Family Preservation) as a Professor at Central Arizona College. James has served as Professor in Social Work from the University of Southern California and Arizona State University School of Social Work - College of Public Service and Community Solutions as a member of the faculty to focus on teaching with aspiring social workers the foundations of social work as well as how policy impacts services for children and families.

James started to serve others at 17-years old and enlisted into the United States Army as a Combat Medic. He was retired with meritorious honors after serving more than 20 years in the Armed Forces as a combat and peacetime veteran (active duty/reserves) where he was the Director of Mental Health/Substance Abuse Program, Combat Medic, and Law Enforcement with his 21-year commitment to serving the United States through the Armed Forces. He is blessed with a beautiful family to include his children, Antonio, Cassandra, and their children, James' grandson Ariston and granddaughter Adalena Rodríguez. James has two amazing daughters Amber Rodríguez, MSW, and her soon to be husband, Daric Young. James' youngest is Jazmín Rodríguez.