Jim Paige

Executive Director

Jim Paige, a senior executive, and a retired Army Colonel, has a wealth of experience in international affairs, strategic communication, program management, and leadership development.

As Executive Director of the Concerned Citizens Network of Alexandria (CCNA), he leads the nonprofit organization’s efforts to address the issues of inequities in education, health, and social justice, especially on behalf of the underserved population. That work includes a focus on affordable housing, access to quality health care, increasing awareness of mental health, and helping students raise their academic performance.

He collaborates closely with numerous partners in the local community and beyond, including Alexandria city officials, the faith-based community, the American Psychiatric Association Foundation (APAF), Howard University Departments of Psychology and Ophthalmology, the Lions Club, and Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement (VOICE), among others.

In January 2023, the Alexandria City Public School System (ACPS) highlighted Jim and CCNA as great community partners. Recently, Jim was honored by the city of Alexandria, VA as a Living Legend and a recipient of the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award acknowledging his contributions to the community. The Alexandria NAACP honored him for exceptional community service and the Catholic Church Josephite Harvest Magazine featured him with an article “Lord, That I Might See” for his work with Lions Club to support visually impaired citizens.

He is a member of several equity-focused boards and committees including the Partnership for Healthier Alexandria, the ACPS School Law Enforcement Partnership Advisory Group, the NAACP, the Northern Virginia Community Health Access Forum, the Saved Hands Foundation, the Alexandria Racial Equity Task Force, Commonwealth Attorney Community Advisory Board, The Police Reform Task Force and the Alexandria Region Action Committee Workgroups.

Jim’s work with the federal government includes serving as the Project Manager and National Coordinator for the “post 9-11” TSA Airport Federalization Project Advanced Team, which developed new airport security screening procedures and implemented them nationwide. He also served as a Senior Advisor for the U.S. Army National Museum Project. In that role, he worked with potential donors, senior leaders, and the academic community, and conducted oral interviews with military veterans including Tuskegee Airmen and Sioux Code Talkers. Additionally, as a consultant for the RAND Corporation, Jim headed a multi-disciplined team of humanitarian preparedness professionals, conducting operational assessments for the Pentagon’s U.S. Southern Command and the U.S. Pacific Command.

With broad experience in the international arena, he has worked extensively as a project manager on behalf of the World Bank’s Post Conflict Unit and the governments of Switzerland and Norway for the repatriation of Northern Ugandan Refugees and Child Soldiers. He also served as the Bank’s representative to the United Nations Coordinating Action on Small Arms (CASA) Mechanism, routinely coordinating international conferences and seminars in Africa and Europe. Jim also served as security advisor to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIVAIDS (UNAIDS).

As a veteran, Jim is an avid supporter of veterans and their families. He works across the nation with like-minded colleagues and organizations to address veteran homelessness, PTSD, and suicide prevention.

As Co-Founder of the Page1 Foundation College Prep and Mentoring Academy, Jim and his children help underserved high school students and their parents navigate the college admissions process and find scholarships.

He is a lifetime member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.