Resume

EDUCATION:

Quality Matters - Certificates of Completion (QM Rubric Workshop/Peer Review Workshop/ ADA Accessibility Workshop) (2016)

Project Management Institute Seminar -Certificateoftraining (2003)

DePaul  University, Chicago IL - Graduate coursework in Marketing (1985)

WebsterUniversity, St.LouisMO - Main Management and Human Relations(1983)

American Management Association (AMA) - Seminar studies in management (1982)

Army Personnel School Ft.Harrison IN - Diploma, Personnel and Organizational Administration (1980)

Pacific LutheranUniversity, Tacoma, WA - Graduate course work in Music Composition(1979)

Army School of Music, Norfolk VA- Diploma, Performance (bass) (1978)

Berklee College of Music, Boston- Bachelor of Music in Composition (1976),

Private Instruction with Dr.Hugo Norden - Counterpoint; Michael Gibbs, Jazz Composition(1975)

EMPLOYMENT:

Columbia College Chicago (August2011 - 2015)AssociateProfessor – Music Department

ColumbiaCollegeChicago (February 1997- 2011) Associate Professor - Arts Entertainment Media Management Program (AEMMP)

Duties (2008 - 2011): classroom instruction and Advising

Duties (1999 - 2008): Coordinate the Music Business Concentrationtoinclude supervising fourteen instructors

• Develop and coordinate the ComputerUsesForManagers curriculum to include interviewing and hiring part-time instructors
• Teach music production and music business, classes
• Advise undergraduate and graduate students to include the development of GraduateThesis

NationalVietnamVeteransArtMuseum (October2003 -October 2004) ExecutiveDirector

ColumbiaCollegeChicago  Artist-in-Residence- Sound and Management Department (September1996- January 1997)

Artist-In-Residence- Music Department (September 1990- September1996)Wrote curriculum and taught related classes

• Department Coordinator for the multi-section MusicWorkshopfreshmanclasses
• Instructor of Harmony and EarTraining, Orchestration and MusicTheory

Part-time faculty, Music Department (September 1989 - May 1990) -Instructor of Introduction to music theory

Sherwood Conservatory of Music - (February 1987 - December 1989) Music Instructor/ Jazz &CommercialMusic Coordinator

• Private instructions - Guitar, Jazz Harmony, Jazz History
• Creator and Director of the Sherwood Conservatory of Music Jazz ensemble program
• Rehearsing/Conducting: Composed, arranged and conducted jazz, rock/pop and seasonal music for the jazz ensemble
• Community Service: Sherwood Jazz Ensemble performed for community-based organizationstoinclude performances at commercial banks
• Founded and developed the curriculum for commercial music Studies

United StatesArmy Reserve - Army WarrantOfficer Bandmaster(February 1990 to December 1994)

Northeastern Illinois University(1984)Part-time faculty

Developed and taught a course in Jazz Harmony

UnitedStatesRegular Army- Captain,AdjutantGeneralsCorp.(February 1977 – February 1987)

Berklee College of Music (June 1976 toDecember1977) 

Part-time instructor -Taught jazz harmony and ensemble performance

Self-employed:

Gallery Owner – KimoPics– Working studio and photo gallery in Shepherdstown ,West Virginia, features 

original photography - 2018-Present

Exhibits

• Faces of Vietnam – Images captured in Vietnam during my tour in 1970 and upon returning in 1998, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2010.
• Ice on The Potomac - Images from a winter day in Shepherdstown West Virginia
• On Tour With The USO - Images capturing while touring the world with the Lt. Dan Band and the USO
• You and Your A Flag -  Images of people interacting with the American Flag during a New York 9/11 memorial run.

Music Publisher- OneOmik Music- BMI/ Harry FoxPublications

•  Conceptualizing American Popular Music Within a Cultural Paradigm- Textbook (2017)
• AppliedMusicTheory ForManagers EngineersProducersand Artists-Textbook(2014)
• TheDigitalProducer- Professional Paper for Berklee alumni newsletter(2001)
• Classical Music in Chicago- Professional Research Paper for the Newberry Library and their History of Chicago Encyclopedia (1995)
• Diagonal Harmony-Manuscript, a new concept in compositional harmony(unpublished).
• TheEvolvingSymphonyOrchestra- Professional paper presented at the ColumbiaCollegeArts and CollaborationsSymposium(1995)
• Published music scores and arrangements

CommercialRecordCompany- Little Beck Music (LBM)Producer and Engineer. Releases Include:

• Kimo andThePaumaluSymphony- WarStoriesfeaturingMike Stern, VictorBailey, and others. (four½ stars fromDownbeat)
• Kimotion - AStreetcarNamed Desire,(music from the Steppenwolf production).
• KimoWilliamsand Kimotion –Tracking, with Michael Brecker, Vinnie Colaiuta,VictorBailey and other nationally recognized jazz artists.
• KimoWilliamsand Kimotion - Kimotion Live(2001)
• James Kimo WilliamsCD -Symphony For The Sons of Nam-Three symphonies performed by the St. Petersburg (Russian) Symphony   includes Symphony For The Sons of Nam, Fanfare For Life, and Buffalo Soldiers (2005)

Engineer/Owner-Recording facility (LBM RecordingStudio).Constructed and managed a commercial music recording facility.

Multi-Media Development and Productions(LBM Multimedia). Now Little Beck LLC (LBLLC). Developed, and produce multi-media projects.

Productions:Multimedia Shorts forCableAccessTelevisionin Chicago-line interactive web-based courses, PSAs for not-for-profits

Photography: Cort Guitar (Brochure), Music PublisherHudson Press(Evolution of Jazz Drumming) and CD coversforCDs manufactured by LBM

Music production services(LBM Productions) (Now Little Beck LLC (LBLLC)

Musical group performances – Created and performed with a music ensemble, Lt.Dan Band doing USO shows(2004-2012)

Electric Bass performer

Accomplishments/Productions:

Compose music for theater and Dance.

• Affection ballet performed by the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago (June 1997)
• Ma Rainey's Black Bottom- Musical Director at the Goodman Theater (1997) (receivedpositivereviewfromtheWallStreetJournal)
• AStreetCarNamed Desire- Composed music forTheSteppenwolfTheatersproduction (1997)(Received positive reviews relating to the music)
• Mozart's' Don Giovanni and Marriage of Figaro- instrumental orchestral arrangement for Fanfare/IntersoundRecords' Enhanced CD release- release date May 1996

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES:

ExecutiveDirector, UnitedStatesVeteransArts Program- ProvidesArtisticTools(musical instruments,artsupplies,cameras,computers )tomilitary soldiers and Veterans Medical Facilities

Arts Management Consultant/Instructor- Developedand implementeda web-based marketing instructional platformforthe Sibelius Academyin Helsinki Finland(2007)

Co-founder/Musical Director-The Lt. Dan Band with co-founder actor /musician Gary Sinise 2003-2012

• Arts Management Consultant (panelist) - Stateof Illinois Arts Council(2000), Adjudicate grant applications
•  Adjudicator - State of Michigan's Arts Council,(1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005)- Conducted on-site evaluations of musical arts organizations and provided detailed assessment reports on submitted grant proposals.
• Consultant- City of Chicago Commission to Establish a Vietnam War Memorial: Designed the Logo with Artist Gary Tinney and suggested the phrase "Chicago Remembers" which was eventually inscribed. (2005)

AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS:

Photographer-   

Works have won several awards dating back to the early 1980s. His photography has been featured in the Smithsonian Magazine, National Geographic Editor’s Choice, and the National Veterans Arts Museum in Chicago. Recently, Kimo’s photography has been jury-selected and curated at; The Berkeley Arts Centerin West Virginia, The Scarab Club in Detroit MI and the Cooperstown Art Association Galleries in New York.

His photography has been awarded: 

• 2nd place (from 11,500 entries) in the 2019 International Photo Awards     (IPA)
• Honorable Mention (4), 2019
• Honorable Mention (2), 2018 

Purpose Prize Fellow  - Selected as a 2015 Purpose Prize Fellow, Recognizing Social Innovators over 60, (2015) 

Fulbright Specialist  2017-2014 and 2015-2020

Vietnam Veterans of America -Recipient - Excellence in the Arts Award, (August 2014)

Columbia College Chicago - Recipient, Faculty Development Award, (January 2014)

People To People International, Recipient - Presidents Award, (2010)

Chicago Magazine - Recipient, Chicagoan of The Year, (2006)

National Endowment for The Arts Continental Harmony Project, Winner- Commission A Symphony of Place (2001)

Columbia College Chicago, Recipient- FacultyDevelopmentAward, (2001)

Detroit Symphony, Finalist - African AmericanComposers Competition-Buffalo Soldiers (2000)

LancasterSymphony, 38th Recipient Composers award for contributions to American Music, (1999)

Illinois Arts Council, Composer Fellowship Award, (1999)

Dictionary of Black Composers, Selected - One of 200 composers selected for inclusion, (1999)

Columbia College Chicago, Recipient- Faculty Development Award, (1998)

African American Academy of Arts and Letters, Induction -(1996)

ColumbiaCollegeChicago, Finalist-Teacherof the Year, (1996)

Detroit Symphony, Finalist- Black Composers Competition- Symphony For The Sons of Nam (1991)

SavannahSymphony, Winner- Black Composers Competition- SymphonyForTheSons of Nam (1991)

League of Black Women, The Black Rose Award, Recipient - for service to the community, (1989)

Fort Sheridan PhotographyContest, Winner-Won first and second prize (1983)

MEMBERSHIP:

National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences NARAS,  Currently a National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (Grammy Organization) Advocacy member representing the State of West Virginia to the 116th US Congress.

NationalMusic PublishersAssociation,(NMPA)- One Omik Music Publisher -Member (Present)

The Chicago Chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences NARAS– Current member, PastGovernor/VicePresident

BroadcastMusic Incorporated (BMI) -Current Writer/PublisherMember

United States Service Organization (USO) - PastBoardMember

National Association Record Industry Professionals (NARIP) - PastMember

ProjectManagement Institute- PastMember

ChicagoYouthSymphony Past Board Member

National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum- Past board member

National Association of Music Merchants  (NAMM) - Past Member

InternationalAssociationof Jazz Educators (IAJE)- Past Member

MILITARY:

Bandmaster Commander- US Army Reserve Warrant Officer and Commander of the 85th Division Band at FortSheridan IL (1989 -1994)

Captain - US Army Administration Corps (1980-1989) - Marketing Officer-For the Chicago Recruiting District of the US Army Recruiting initiatives: Responsibilities included developing marketing strategies, evaluating advertising efforts and recommending alternative advertising to include media buys for specific markets(1983-1986)

US ArmyBandsman - Performed on guitar, electric bass and percussion as a musician for the US Army(1978-1980)

Vietnam Veteran - CombatEngineer(1970)- Received Vietnam Cross of Gallantry awarded by the Vietnam Government, Army Commendation Medal (2).

PERSONAL:

Married to Carol Williams  (1977), Daughter- Rebecca Williams, PHD.

Reside in Shepherdstown West Virginia