Entrepreneur

As the President of Kinetic Potential Inc. (KP) and  Managing Member of Digital Network Group (DNG), Jim Smith considers himself a social entrepreneur. Through this work, he has helped many organizations through strategic planning, outsourcing, global product development, system integration, and program turnarounds.

His expertise is specific to telecommunications, healthcare, finance, and government sectors, spanning across noteworthy organizations such as AT&T, Verizon, Geico, Bank of America, Commonwealth of Virginia, Social Security Agency, and the Republic of Liberia. 

Jim believes that with his qualifications, he can positively impact the organizations and individuals that he works with. His academic background is as follows:

• BA in Physics from Occidental College
• MS in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from the University of Massachusetts
• MBA from the Wharton School
• Cybersecurity Advanced Degree Fellow (CADF)
• Certified Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Certified Scrum Master (CSM) and Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)

As part of his entrepreneurial journey, Jim shares a keen interest in how technology is applied to social challenges. This is done by creating economic and social value by building domain solutions that are triggered to increase community value. This includes youth, workforce, and economic developments, as well as community reinvestments. 

With his entrepreneurial nature, Jim oversees the sales, delivery, and operational efforts of KP’s flagship program -  Kinetic Potential Scholars.

Research & Scholar

As a researcher and scholar, Jim’s interests are focused on the development of technology, algorithms, and business processes. These aim to address workforces that experience supply and demand issues. They are also geared toward finding youth and community development opportunities.

Research projects that Jim has worked on include the following:

• Computer Assisted Mentoring System (CAMS): a hosted web-based application that pioneers the use of automated workflow processing, decision support systems, career pathing as well as movement from short term intervention to systematic change. 
• Technical Capability Model (TCM): provides pragmatic guidance to large and small nonprofits through the use, application, and investment of information technology. It’s targeted towards organizations seeking transformative steps using IT to support growth objectives.
• Workforce Supply Chain Models: looks to improve its performance in preparing youth that is “college and career” ready. One area of opportunity is to incorporate employer demand as the driver of the activities selected to achieve the college and career mandate. 
• KP Risk Model: applies predictive analytics to youth development to quantify the term “at-risk” youth. It works in a similar manner to the finance industry’s use of a FICO score for assessing credit risk and extension of credit. The KP risk model establishes the overall risk profile of a student across their academic, social, and professional development to assess support services. The model allows for more efficient solutions to student dropout rates, a decrease in the cost of interventions, and higher graduation rates. With the ongoing collection of data, the models are continuously refined and improved.

Technologist

With the impact of technology rapidly changing, Jim’s work as a technologist with Kinetic Potential (KP) provides certified occupational training under the Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIAO).

At KP, the objective is to offer certified training for dislocated workers throughout the US. This includes training in the fields of Cybersecurity, Project Management, and Healthcare. KP provides virtual on-the-job training programs. These are designed for youths (18-24 years) to help develop their skills and increase their career prospects.

When launching their Kinetic Potential Mentoring and Learning (KPML) Services, Jim put together and led the technical team. He synthesized the collective knowledge of his diverse team to make smart, high-quality decisions. They worked hard and were able to deliver the program online via a Computer Assisted Mentoring System (CAMS). This shows Jim’s experience in leading teams and leveraging technology.

The collection of data is a critical element in Jim’s work to drive risk models, automated decision making, and the eCommerce platforms designed to scale the impact on families. Safeguarding this data is an imperative and legal obligation. With his growing interest and exposure in cyber-security, Jim’s goal is to better position himself to be able to prepare a future workforce of cyber-security professionals.

Passionate Community Advocate

Through the application of his academic knowledge, business acumen, and personal experiences with youths from low-income communities, Jim’s passion for being a community advocate has grown over the years.

Jim helps to connect young individuals with resources and mentors. Through the use of technology, his goal is to guide youths along their career development paths so that they can transcend their current circumstances.  

He creates and implements solutions to problems impacting communities. In addition, he is an avid supporter of mentoring programs for youths. The community projects that he works on require passion and commitment. These qualities aid in the successful implementation of proposed projects.

As an example, one of the projects he worked on was to implement a change in the funding approach for low-income students. Jim’s firm became a Supplemental Educational Services (SES) provider to secure federal funds to use for academic services. This change of approach is still used in student initiatives today to help bridge the funding gap in public schools.

Writer & Speaker

Jim is a dynamic and engaging motivational speaker. He enjoys sharing knowledge with others through his teaching, training, and mentoring efforts. Jim is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). As such, he often provides project management training for early-stage ventures as well as growing organizations. 

Through his experience as an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland Global Campus, he has garnered an interest in informing and motivating individuals when presented with the opportunity to do so.

Jim’s writing skills are specifically related to technical reports and publications. Examples of projects he’s worked on include a Technical Capability Model where he worked on a Proof of Concept. Jim also worked on a Project Management Competency Model where the Proof of Concept is currently in development.