James (Jim) Graef served as an Officer in the Canadian Armed Forces for six years in 1988-1994. After his service, Jim launched and operated an engineering and training consulting business named Kinetic Safety Inc, which he sold five years later to Capital Safety Group. Jim worked with Capital Safety Canada and USA in several different positions for 15 years, including engineering manager, marketing manager, national sales manager, and other prestigious titles, until Capital Safety was sold to 3M in 2016.
Jim started working at Mohawk College in 2011 as a part-time professor of Mathematics and Engineering, teaching various Mechanical Engineering courses. In 2019, Jim became a full-time professor teaching in the Mohawk College McKeil School of Business for the post graduate programs.
Jim graduated from the Royal Military College (RMC) Mechanical Engineering program in 1992. In 2015, Jim obtained an MBA in Executive Management from the Royal Roads University. In his free time, Jim is a volunteer firefighter and rugby coach for high school boys and girls rugby teams. Jim also holds a black belt in Judo.