James C. Wong
Co-Founder & Partner at Empowered Ideas
Speaker, Digital Strategist & Social Entrepreneur
Email | Linkedin | Twitter
Main Line: 919.335.3291
James Wong is a nationally recognized speaker, instructor, digital marketing and communications strategist and passionate social entrepreneur.
Emerging technologies, and the effects of adoption within physical and digital communities, have been a strong focus throughout his career. At age 12, James managed three online communities, supporting over 1,000 North Carolina technology enthusiasts – eventually leading to the management of online communities supporting over 600,000 users worldwide.
From 2007-2012, James served as the Marketing Communications Manager for the iContact Corporation (a division of the Vocus Corporation), an industry leading email marketing services provider, and pioneered digital strategies which spearheaded iContact into the social media marketing industry.
In 2007, James began assisting Chuck Hester, the founder of Linkedin LIVE Raleigh with networking events in the Raleigh, NC area. In 2010, James and his partner, Virginia Johnson, took over as co-organizers of the popular Bi-Monthly Linkedin LIVE Raleigh Business Networking Events.
Today, James is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Empowered Ideas, a nationally recognized marketing communications firm for small businesses, nonprofits and government agencies — with a diverse coast-to-coast client portfolio.
His passion for diversity in leadership and community outreach has led to special recognition by the Society of New Communications Research (SNCR), North Carolina Army National Guard, the National Black MBA Association (NBMBA), The Men of Semper Fidelis (MSF), and by Asian Focus of North Carolina.
In addition, James currently serves as the President of the RTP Chapter of the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP), a Marketing Committee Member for the Fuquay-Varina Chamber of Commerce, and as the Marketing Chair for the Triangle Association of Black Journalists (TABJ). He has also served as the President of the Triangle Interactive Marketing Association (TIMA) in 2012.
- Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Empowered Ideas (EI)
- President, National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP RTP) | (2011-Present)
- Marketing Committee, Fuquay-Varina Chamber of Commerce | (2014-Present)
- Marketing Director, Triangle Association of Black Journalists (TABJNC) | (2010-Present)
- Co-Organizer, Linkedin LIVE Raleigh (LLR) | (2010-Present)
- Marketing Committee, United Way of the Greater Triangle (2011-2013)
- President, Triangle Interactive Marketing Association (TIMA) (2011-2012)
- Marketing Committee, Morrisville Chamber of Commerce’s “East Meets West” Festival | (2012)
- Marketing Communications Manager, iContact / Vocus Corporation (2007-2012)
Over 18 years of diverse and proven experience in various fields such as:
- Website Development & Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Digital & Social Media Marketing Strategies
- Online Reputation & Brand Management
- Public Relations & Communications
- Emerging Internet Technologies
- Email Marketing Best Practices
- Content Strategy & Marketing
- Online Community Management
- Advertising & Media Buying
- Engagement Marketing
- Traditional Media
2014
- Speaker – MBA Program (Meredith College)
- Instructor – Duke Medicine (Duke University)
- Speaker – VCU Prevention Conference (Virginia Commonwealth University)
- Speaker – TAASCON 2014, Duke University
- Speaker – North Carolina Coalition Initiative (NCCI), Asheville, NC
2013
- Speaker – Strategic Branding & Marketing Workshop, Coalition in Ada, OK
- Panelist – TAASCON 2013: Recognize the Revolution, Duke University
- Speaker – Asian Focus Career Development Conference
- Panelist – National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Region III Conference, Mar. 2013
- Speaker – Delta Phi Lambda’s Professional Networking Workshop at UNC Charlotte, Feb. 2013
- Instructor – Digital Marketing & Communications Workshop in Los Angeles, CA, Jan. 2013
2012
- Speaker – Eastern AHEC Substance Abuse Services State of the Art Conference, Nov. 2012
- Speaker – National Black MBA Association (Speaker Series), Nov. 2012
- Speaker – Digital East Conference, Washington, D.C., October 2012
- Speaker – youREACH Conference, UNC Chapel Hill, Sept. 2012
- Speaker – North Carolina Dept. of Public Instruction’s Annual Conference (NCDPI), 2012
- Panelist – Making News: TABJ Media Access Workshop, 2012
- Commencement Speaker – ITT Technical Institute, June 2012
- Special Guest – “Is Social Media Working For You?”, UNC-TV (PBS), 2012
- Panelist – Women’s Power Networking: Business Alliance Rally, 2012
- Speaker – Addiction Professionals of NC (APNC) Spring Conference, 2012
- Speaker – Asian Focus Conference at NCSU, 2012
- Panelist – Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), 2012
- Speaker – Social Media Strategies for Business, Meredith College, 2012
- Speaker – NC State University MBA Association, 2012
2011
- Speaker – Eastern AHEC Substance Abuse Services State of the Art Conference, 2011
- Panelist – 2011 Student Media Workshop, WNCU @ NCCU 2011
- Speaker – NC Foundation for Alcohol & Drug Studies (Summer School), 2011
- Panelist – Making News: TABJ Media Access Workshop, TABJ 2011
- Speaker – Professional Networking Through Linkedin, NC Office of the State Controller
- Speaker – Addiction Professionals of NC (APNC) Spring Conference, 2011
- Speaker – NC Foundation for Alcohol & Drug Studies (Winter School), 2011
- Panelist – Email Experience Council (EEC), Miami, FL 2011
2010
- Keynote – Digital Marketing & Social Media Strategies, Duke CDS ’10
- Panelist – Social Media Marketing & Business, UpLink Business Networking
- Panelist – Making News: TABJ Media Access Workshop, 2010
- Panelist – Optimizing Email for Political Marketing Campaigns, Politics Online Conference in D.C.
- Panelist – Email Marketing Best Practices, American Marketing Association
- Speaker – Email Marketing Best Practices Seminar, PRWeb Las Vegas 2010
2009
- Speaker – iMedia ’09, MEPNC
- Speaker – Social Media Club
- Speaker – Social Media Strategies for Business, Meredith College
- Panelist – The Role of Social Media for Today’s Journalists, TABJ
- Panelist – Profits Through Social Media Marketing, ECMTA Atlanta
- Panelist – Making News: TABJ Media Access Workshop, 2009
2008
- Social Media Panel Moderator – Social Media Club RDU, SMC 2008
