My Story

Jim Benson began his professional career as a high school teacher and football and baseball coach.  However, with the Viet Nam war in the news, he felt the calling to lead in an environment where the stakes were higher, and there was less fame and recognition, so he signed up Officer Candidates School, shipped off to Quantico, VA for what began a 26 year career as a Marine officer.  By summer of 1969, he was an infantry platoon commander in Quang Nam Province in South Viet Nam.  Before the year was over, he became a company commander and went on the reach the rank of colonel before retiring in the summer of 1995.

At that time, he returned to his education background by serving as the Executive Assistant to the President and Director of Planning at Bridgewater College, later moving up to the position of Vice President for Administration.  In 2004, he moved to Alabama where he became the 15th President of Marion Military Institute (MMI), a long time struggling independent two-year college and high school college preparatory school.  While at MMI, Jim wrote the legislation that made the Institute a state-owned and funded military college.  Meanwhile, he filled over 200 empty beds, dramatically increased the revenue while reducing the expenses, and completing a major renovation of the campus and its facilities.  Moreover, he kick-started a dismal fundraising program that raised over $8M in 5-years.

In 2009, Jim was recruited to rescue a failing Riverside Military Academy (RMA), a 102 year old independent middle and secondary college preparatory school in Gainesville, GA.  With superb facilities and a supportive Board of Trustees, the Academy was failing in virtually every operational area leaving the Board with the question of whether to sell the school or try once more to turn it around.  Losing millions of dollars annually with over 200 empty beds, bloated expenditures, no fundraising program to speak of, unhappy alumni, and more, Jim began a seven year turnaround that filled the beds, significantly reduced expenses, and raised the annual revenues from less than $10M to just short of $20M.

Jim resigned the presidency of RMA in the summer of 2016 and immediately began his consulting career.  Since then he has worked to improve the financial/business practices, personnel management, educational programs, residential life programs, athletic programs, enrollment management programs, and fundraising programs of independent educational institutions.  Additionally, he has worked with governing boards relative to management team selection and hiring as well as other forms of counsel. His company has morphed into executive coaching, strategic planning, leadership surveying, and providing advice and counsel to president’s/CEOs of both public and non-public businesses.

Jim’s first book, So You Want to Be a Leader? Advice and Counsel to Young Leaders was published by Trafford Publishing Company in 2007.  The second edition was published in 2013.  The book has enjoyed considerable success for a first book and self-published.  Surprisingly, the book has been as popular with seasoned leaders as with young leaders.

Jim's second book titled "Executive Courage - Sometimes You Have to Walk Point"  was published by Next Century Publishing and was released in December 2018.  The book focuses on the executive or senior leader and those who aspire to the highest positions in business, government, education, hospitals, the military, and more. After a robust first two months, Next Century Publishing took bankruptcy forcing Jim to self-publish. Consulting quickly ate up Jim’s time and thus, marketing and sales of dropped off significantly.