BIOGRAPHY

My sweetheart!

James Sly was born and raised in Santee, CA. Sly grew up in the apartments along Carlton Oaks Dr. and attended Carlton Hills Elementary before entering high school at West Hills. After graduating from West Hills in 2004, Sly enrolled at Grossmont Community College and began working full-time at the Lowe’s Home Improvement store in Santee. After one year, Sly transferred to San Diego State University to complete his Bachelor’s degree in Business Management. He would go on to earn a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification from the University of California, San Diego, and leadership certifications from the San Diego Public Leadership Institute and Harvard Business School.

Currently, James Sly is the Vice President and Chief Operations Officer of the East County Economic Development Council (EDC) and Director of the East County Small Business Development Center (SBDC). He is responsible for defining and implementing the East County EDC’s ambitious project portfolio, which cuts across education, industry, workforce, and government. In his role as an SBDC Director, Sly supports small businesses and entrepreneurs by providing no-cost entrepreneurship counseling, training workshops and resource navigation so that East County small businesses have the funding and tools they need to thrive and survive during the COVID-19 pandemic. These roles require frequent collaboration with many of the region’s largest decision makers (e.g. Padre Dam, SANDAG, and the various city governments and chambers of commerce).

Prior to joining the East County EDC, Sly worked as a management consultant, servicing startup and mid-size businesses throughout San Diego’s private sector, and as a sought-after workforce expert for the One-Stop Career Center Network and San Diego’s CalWORKS Welfare-to-Work and Refugee Resettlement programs.

These days, he spends most of his personal time with his daughter, Autumn, trying to figure out her distance learning program or shuttling her to the park for some father-daughter soccer. Otherwise, he can be found improving his home gym, practicing the piano, or looking for ways to get out of the house.

KEY SERVICE

  • East County Small Business Development Center — Support small businesses with financing and mentorship
  • Prop G Independent Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee, $247 million to finance much-needed infrastructure improvements at Grossmont Sharp Hospital
  • Santee Chamber of Commerce, Board Member
  • LEAD San Diego, Class of 2015
  • Citizens Water Academy, Class of 2018