Courtney James currently serves as the Senior Director for Student Involvement at DePaul University. In her role, she supervises student organizations, campus activities, fraternity & sorority life, Esports, and voter engagement.
She volunteers with the National Association for Campus Activities, having served as chair of the Board of Directors from 2024-2025. She currently volunteers as part of the Business & Connections team. Additional highlights to her volunteer experience include serving as the co-chair to the NACA/NIRSA Esports Task Force, 2018 NACA National Convention Chair, 2015 Central Regional Conference Chair, and other roles with regional conferences, the national convention and summer institutes. She has published a variety of articles for Campus Activities Programming Magazine on such topics as beyond-the-classroom engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic, assessment, volunteer management, voter engagement and more. Prior to joining DePaul in 2015, Courtney worked for five years in campus activities at the University of Central Oklahoma.
In 2024, Courtney was recognized as a recipient of the Spirit of DePaul Award, one of the university’s highest honors celebrating faculty & staff that demonstrate institutional Vincentian Values and their relation to the achievement of DePaul's mission. In 2022 as part of DePaul’s 125th Anniversary Celebration, she was selected as a one of the 125 Faces of DePaul. This selection honored 125 individuals affiliated with DePaul University that made a significant impact on the institution’s history. Additional honors include the 2026 DePaul College of Education Charles Doyle Service Award, 2022 NACA Janet Carl Smith Mid-America Lifetime Achievement Award, 2018 DePaul University Student Affairs Innovation Award, 2017 DePaul University Division of Student Affairs Collaboration Award, 2015 NACA Legacy Award, the 2013 University of Central Oklahoma Advisor of the Year, and the 2012 Central Region Outstanding New Professional.
Courtney completed her bachelor's degree at Augustana College (IL) and her master's degree at Western Illinois University. She is currently completing her doctoral coursework in Educational Leadership at DePaul University.