James W. Reed is the Founder of Pursuit of I AM Mental Health & Wellness. A licensed social worker for the State of Ohio with 10+years of experience serving Ohio’s Medicaid population, James currently serves as the Complex Health Provider Transformation Specialist at CareSource. James has a passion to serve society’s most vulnerable populations with an emphasis on mental and behavioral health. James was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio where he graduated from Collinwood High School. He later obtained his Bachelor of Social Work from Mount Vernon Nazarene University and is currently a Master of Social Work student at The Ohio State University. James and his wife, Kera J. Reed, have four children Kelen, Kali, Ryleigh, and James Jr. He also serves at the primary caregiver to his mother, Yolanda C. Williams, who he contributes to planting the seed of serving becoming a social worker focused on individuals with mental illness diagnoses. It was while navigating systems that were never created to serve individuals with serious mental illnesses for Yolanda, that he decided he wanted to influence change at the direct services level, but also systematically. James takes pride in providing cultural representation within the mental health field.  James has served as a Life Coach with CareSource, clinician for youth at a local mental health agency, a chemical dependency counselor for an intensive outpatient agency, and currently serves on the board for NAMI of Marion-Crawford Counties. James also works closely with the African American Male Wellness Agency, partnering on the mental wellness committee and facilitating community conversations.  Ultimately, James loves to support individuals and families realize their full potential and establish a self-declaration of who they are to the world. James strongly believes that we aren’t simply the product of our life experiences, but that we have the power within ourselves to define and mold them to our advantage. This process often begins with our thoughts and overall mental health and well-being.