About
Background
Twenty-two years at Bombardier Technology Solutions in Toronto (2001–2023). From 2001 to 2014 I worked as a project coordinator, technical trainer, and subject-matter expert — the person other mechanics called when a locomotive or coach wouldn't run. Union tech work. From 2011 to 2014 I took on additional duties that transitioned me from the union side into the professional side of the business.
From 2014 to 2023 I was senior project manager and technical lead on
TrackSafe,
YardSafe, and
broader technical services work
— technology deployment for the VP's office, and e-learning development
and management for the technical field training program. The e-learning
work was a direct continuation of my 2001–2013 role as technical trainer,
and feeds into the AI course notes I publish now at
class.wize73.com.
TrackSafe and YardSafe both shipped to carriers including NJ TRANSIT and
MARTA.
Since 2024, Technical Architect on StrongAfter and Lead Developer at Columbia University's Justice Through Code program (now operating as the 501(c)(3) Fair Chance Futures). I came through the JTC Flagship (April 2024 – May 2025); CasaLingua was my capstone. JTC / FCF taught me how to build software; I now build software for them.
Education
- Justice Through Code, Columbia University — The Flagship
& Tech Pathways Software Engineering Program (Apr 2024 – May 2025). Course
notes and lessons from the Applied AI Solutions Engineering track live at
class.wize73.com. - Georgian College, Barrie, ON — Post Graduate Certificate in Artificial Intelligence (2022)
- Georgian College, Barrie, ON — Post Graduate Certificate in Project Management, Honours (2020)
Affiliations
- Fair Chance Futures — Lead Developer. The 501(c)(3) that spun out of Justice Through Code.
- StrongAfter — Technical Architect
Acknowledgements
Justice Through Code was developed by the Tamer Center for Social Enterprise at Columbia Business School, in partnership with the Center for Justice at Columbia University. JTC operated as a philanthropic arm of that center, and has since grown into the 501(c)(3) Fair Chance Futures. My arc from rail tech to AI architect didn't happen in a vacuum — it went through that classroom. Frankie and CasaLingua are both, in different ways, my way of paying that forward.
Additional
- citizenship
- us · ca (dual)
- travel
- NEXUS
- languages
- en · fr
- certs
- OSHA level 2
- service
- Lorne Scots "B" Co. reserve · 1990–1992
Work with me
I take on a small number of engagements each year where the work matches the thesis of this site. Current bandwidth: 1 advisory + 1 build. Typical shapes:
- safety review
- second-opinion audit of an AI system with real users
- build
- deterministic safety layer + eval harness, 4–12 weeks
- advisory
- standing relationship, monthly, clinical or justice AI
Not a fit: general LLM consulting, marketing copy for AI products, anything that ships faster than it evaluates.
Reach me at [email protected]. I read every message and reply within 48h. Preferred: a paragraph on what you're building and what's going wrong.
Contact
- [email protected]
- james-wilson-123224381
- github
- wize73-ai