James P. Cramer graduated from Northern State College in 1969. During his four years on campus, he was a program director at the Aberdeen YMCA and completed his undergraduate degree in secondary education.

He is the former CEO of The American Institute of Architects in Washington, D.C., and is a faculty lecturer at Georgia Institute of Technology, where he teaches the popular course Entrepreneurship in Professional Practice.

Cramer believes that at its essence, design is about discovery - solving problems in different ways with new tools and techniques. For this, lifelong learning should be a core competency. It follows that designing learning into daily routines can improve results. Organizations that understand this basic principle and weave it into their organizational DNA are "making a very smart investment," paying dividends for years to come.

Cramer has been an outspoken advocate and supporter of the undergraduate and graduate education programs at Northern State University. "At Northern, there is fresh and relevant thinking and mentorship unlike at any other institution," he says.

Following his distinguished career at the AIA, he founded the Design Futures Council and its journal, Design Intelligence.

He is a governor, regent, director, or equity full board member of nearly a dozen of the world's leading design professional practices. In addition to his AIA role, he is the former publisher of Architecture Magazine and the magazine Architectural Technology. He is the longest-serving member of the AIA Executive Board, with more than 12 years of service.

Cramer has authored seven books and dozens of magazine articles. His books include the highly acclaimed "How Firms Succeed, New Horizons for the Professional Services Firm" (with Scott Simpson) and "Lessons from the Future" (with Scott Simpson). He is the author of the bestseller "Design + Enterprise, Seeking a New Reality in Architecture." His popular book "The Next Architect" (with Scott Simpson) is used in architecture and engineering firms and schools worldwide. His recent book, "Small Firm Success: how Small Firms Can Thrive in an Age of Acceleration," was published in 2020 in 11 custom editions. 

The case studies in these books prove that small and geographically remote firms can and do prosper worldwide. However, he reminds us, you cannot be successful in practice without being well managed. This theme permeates the Cramer Center, which encourages innovation through social networking and disciplined strategic planning.