LAKISHA D. JAMES

LaKisha D. James is a talented interior designer, event planner and entrepreneur dedicated to her work as the founder and chief executive officer of Designer Events by LaKisha. Since 2017, Ms. James has brought the highest level of planning and diligence to her clients’ unique events, from corporate gatherings and conferences to birthday parties and weddings. A natural creative, she always had a sense that she was destined for more than an administrative job. She graduated from Bauder College in 2008 with an Associate of Arts in interior design and earned a Bachelor of Science in management from DeVry University in 2012. Ms. James dreamed of becoming a business owner to give back to others and create more opportunities for the community and decided to pursue event planning after successfully executing a luxury wedding reception for her brother.

Early in her career, Ms. James began to specialize in corporate events of all varieties, including awards ceremonies, galas and dinners, and networking events. She has built a reputation for creating and managing events with professionalism, enthusiasm, and diligence at every step of the process, from decorating the space to collaborating with caterers, performers, and vendors, as well as managing guest lists. In addition to event planning, Ms. James offers set design and production design services for theater and film productions, drawing on her interior design background and her intuitive sense of space. She has worked on productions including the social-issue drama “Saving Nina,” an independent feature-length film. Designer Events by LaKisha has dozens of five-star client reviews, and Ms. James looks forward to continuing to expand.

In addition to her work as a designer and business owner, Ms. James is an established writer and the author of Amazon bestsellers “I Am: Releasing the Shame of Narcissistic Abuse and Transforming Financial Poverty to Wealth Beyond Numbers” and “Wake Up Winning, Vol. 2: Losing is Not an Option,” both published in 2021. She is featured in VoyageATL Magazine, volumes one and two of Who’s Who of Urban CEOs Magazine, CanvasRebel Magazine, Shoutout Atlanta, Real Women Atlanta Magazine, and the Bossed Up & Empowered women’s calendar. As a leader in her field and a model of successful female entrepreneurship, Ms. James is the event planning director for the Black MasterMind Group, editor at Real Women Atlanta Magazine, and host of “Talks with LaKisha.” She was recognized as the 2019 CEO on the Rise of the Year by Who’s Who of Urban CEOs and presented with the 2021 Global Leadership Award by the World Women V.I.S.I.O.N Awards. Ms. James received an honorary Doctor of Philosophy in the specialization area of humanitarianism and risk conflict in September 2021.

Ms. James attributes her success to her hunger to give back, guide, teach and empower others and to follow the path that God created for her. She describes business ownership as a process of growth, emphasizing the confidence that she has built during her time as an entrepreneur, and strives to empower other young women to chase their goals, stand their ground, and not allow other people or circumstances to hold them back. Looking toward the future, Ms. James hopes to branch into motivational speaking and to work with more international clients, adding that “everyone has a story and somewhere, there is a person that needs to hear it and can relate to it.”