Published on January 31, 2019
Alumni Award of Distinction ’03, Board of Governors 2004 – present
When something is important to James Cumming he gives it his full attention.
In 1998, not long after his son Garrett had to start using a wheelchair due to muscular dystrophy, Cumming joined the Muscular Dystrophy Canada board, serving as its national chair from 2001 to 2003.
After that, he continued to contribute by helping to raise $1.61 million to establish the Friends of Garrett Cumming Research Chair in Muscle Disorder at the University of Alberta to pursue cures for debilitating neuromuscular disorders.
After his intense work with that board, Cumming stepped back to change the focus of his community involvement to education. NAIT was an obvious point of focus.
Currently the CEO of Creative Door Services, Cumming credits his NAIT training as the foundation of his lengthy career as owner and leader of construction and development businesses. In 2004, he returned to his alma mater as a member of the Board of Governors. In October 2010, he became its chair.
Going forward, Cumming is excited about NAIT’s future. Right now, amongst other priorities, he’s devoting himself to planning for the proposed Centre for Applied Technologies, which will boost simulation-based training and applied research on Main Campus. As an industry insider, he has an intimate understanding of the need for skilled workers.
“We’ve got a marketplace that’s busy and begging for more trained individuals,” says Cumming. “Our challenge is to make sure that we’re in front of that demand, not behind it.”
— Fiona Bensler