James A. Cusumano (Jim) is an accomplished leader, entrepreneur, and author, with success in an eclectic list of careers — entertainer, scientist, corporate executive, filmmaker, and entrepreneur. He started his professional life during the birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll music as a recording artist, entertaining with rock pioneers such as Chuck Berry, The Platters, James Brown, Buddy Holly, and Little Richard.
His strong interest in science eventually guided him to a Ph.D. in physical chemistry, business studies at Stanford University, and a Fellowship at Churchill College at Cambridge University. He worked as a research scientist and then Director of R&D for Exxon.
An entrepreneur at heart, Jim subsequently moved to Silicon Valley where he co-founded two public companies, Catalytica Energy Systems and Catalytica Pharmaceuticals. The latter grew in less than five years, from several people to more than 2,300 and had a value on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange of more than $1 billion before being sold.
Jim next returned to entertainment as an executive producer when he founded Chateau Wally Films and produced the feature film, “What Matters Most,” released in more than 50 countries. He moved to Prague where he and his wife, Inez, bought and renovated Chateau Mcely to an award-winning luxury castle, spa hotel and forest retreat, chosen by the World Travel Awards as “The World’s Leading Green Hotel.”
Jim has brought international change-makers such as Deepak Chopra and Lance Secretan to Chateau Mcely to teach the power and potential of Conscious Leadership and Life Purpose as a means to long-term fulfillment. An inspiring speaker, he is the author of ten fiction and nonfiction books, including his recently released sci-fi novel, Cosmic Contact: The Next Earth, Book Three in The Luc Ponti Chronicles trilogy.
Against a backdrop of Russian espionage, Cosmic Contact explores the significant social, psychological, and transcendental impact on Earthlings who, seeking help to avoid their imminent extinction due to accelerating climate change, encounter a highly advanced extraterrestrial civilization. The Earthlings are stunned when they learn of the aliens’ incredible technologies, governance, leadership, and sociocultural units. The aliens offer to help but everything has its price . . . The science and power of consciousness and artificial intelligence (AI) play critical roles throughout this adventurous novel.
