Jim has a background in teaching and school counseling, having been an educator for over 15 years.
He earned degrees from Northern Iowa (BA) and Buena Vista (MSE).
He was ordained a deacon in 2023 as part of the 20th permanent diaconate formation class of the Archdiocese of Dubuque.
He is a member of the Secular Franciscan Order. The OFS abbreviation is taken from the Latin of Ordo Franciscanus Saecularis, and not the English translation.