Meet The Team

Alisha S. James is a criminal justice expert and executive, leader in criminal justice reform, former law enforcement supervisor and award-winning officer, entrepreneur, and speaker. With nearly two decades of experience spanning from government to the private sector, Alisha has gained expertise on the most global and granular hurdles in the corrections industry and criminal justice reform along with the skillset to address them with a strategic blend of best practices, ingenuity, and innovation.

Alisha began her career as a Metropolitan Nashville Police Officer, serving as a patrol officer, undercover detective, training instructor, and background and recruiting investigator. In 2009, she was selected for an internship with the Presidential Personnel Office, where she recruited and selected qualified candidates to serve the President of the United States in departments and agencies across the government.

In 2011, Alisha joined the United States Probation and Pretrial Services Office - Middle District of Tennessee, conducting investigations and preparing sentencing recommendations for individuals convicted of federal offenses. From 2014 to 2019, she served the Tennessee Department of Corrections as a correctional administrator, then was promoted to statewide probation administrator. Next, Alisha was appointed as assistant commissioner for community supervision, where she managed an $84 million budget, oversaw operations for 44 probation/parole offices, and directed 1,200 employees across Tennessee. Her outstanding work was recognized by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) in 2018 when she was named one of the top 40 Under 40 in Law Enforcement globally.  

 In 2019, Alisha founded James Group Consulting, a criminal justice consulting firm serving government agencies and private corporations. Most recently, Alisha joined a larger correctional technology provider as an executive leader overseeing the area of reentry and post-incarceration.

 Alisha is a frequent speaker on criminal justice reform and corrections, law enforcement and community relations, innovation and technology, and women in leadership. She has spoken at conferences and events across the United States and internationally in locations ranging from Canada and Argentina to Australia and Portugal. Alisha was a board member for the American Probation and Parole Association and advanced technology company Corrisoft, and currently sits on the board for the Association of Women Executives in Corrections, and Dismas House of Nashville. She is a member of The Table, an organization that focuses on how to make Nashville the model for equity and inclusiveness.

At true powerhouse where law enforcement and criminal justice meet innovation, Alisha James is a one-of-a-kind leader who can both envision and move the industry into the next generation.

James Group partners with various subject matter experts to ensure depth when tackling complex issues facing criminal justice

Karen Webb

Karen Webb is a retired U.S. Probation Officer and currently works as a consultant with James Group Consulting. She has over 25 years of experience in working in both the State of Tennessee and the federal criminal justice systems. Karen currently facilitates groups with parolees and probationers to help them find positive ways to address obstacles they encounter.  She has extensive experience with facilitating course work for clients and staff of probation agencies. Karen personally knows the challenges of those on supervision. She was led to be a probation officer after seeing a close family member struggle with alcohol and drug issues that resulted in legal consequences.  As a result, she has had a passion to help re-set those who are on community supervision as well as those who work in Community Supervision agencies.

Karen graduated from Georgia State University with a Bachelor’s degree in psychology and then from Vanderbilt University with a Master’s degree in education with a focus in human development counseling.

Paul Montgomery

Paul Montgomery is a retired Supervisory U.S. Probation Officer and currently works as a consultant with James Group Consulting. He has over 22 years of experience in working in the federal criminal justice system. Paul’s experience includes supervising specialized drug use caseloads, conducting pretrial investigations, and writing presentence reports. He served as a supervisor for 7 years. Prior to becoming a federal probation officer, Paul served as a United States Marine.

Paul has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke and a Master’s of Criminal Justice Degree from the University of Denver.