James Cheeks is an accomplished transportation professional with a Bachelor of Arts in Engineering Science (Civil Engineering) from Dartmouth College, and a Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering from Cornell University. Cheeks has completed a variety of professional courses, including those offered by the Federal Highway Administration FHWA) and the Institute of Traffic Engineers (ITE) Traffic Engineering Academy at Northwestern University. He has held various leadership roles in transportation including Deputy Associate Director (Chief Traffic Engineer) with District Department of Transportation (DDOT) and Vice President/Regional Manager for Grice & Associates, Inc.

Currently, he is the President of Cheeks Diversified Services, a consulting firm providing project management and coordination services to City, County, and State Governments in Traffic Engineering, Transportation Planning, Transit, Highway-Rail Grade Crossings, and Intelligent Transportation Systems.