James Newcomer

James is a practicing academic advisor and action researcher interested in how to best support engineering and computing students as they navigate college towards earning a degree. He has extensive experience supporting first-generation, underrepresented, and low-income STEM students, the design and implementation of academic advising technology, and instructional design and delivery in secondary, post-secondary, and corporate contexts. From 2021-2024, James held the position of coordinator of the Engineering Education Academic Advising Team serving the largest first-year program on Virginia Tech's campus. James is a first-generation college graduate from rural Appalachia.