Reverend James Encinas works at First United Methodist Church in Boulder as the “animare." (The Latin verb animare means "to give life to.") His job is to animate the gifts of those experiencing homelessness by connecting them with social capital, and inviting people to parties where they can fall in love with one another, and encouraging them in who they are, and going with them along the way even as roadblocks arise in the living out of those gifts. James is also a parent educator, child abuse/domestic violence service provider, activist, author, actor and public speaker. He is an alumni of The Living School for Action and Contemplation founded by Richard Rohr, a two year program for a select group of students that have come together to deepen engagement with their truest selves and with the world. He is a Fellow of the first class of the Aspen Teacher Leaders Fellowship and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. Propelled by his Aspen Fellowship experience James completed a cross country bicycle ride and as a result has written a book titled Wheeling to Healing: Broken Heart on a Bicycle. Prior to this James was as an educator and role model for the heavily Latino population at Westminster Avenue Elementary School. James helped found the Westminster Avenue Elementary School Endowment, a not-for-profit focused on strengthening ties with parents and the community at large. Faced with continuing declining enrollment in the school and the possibility of eventual closure, he and his colleagues focused on building ties with a diverse group of parents and community members. As a result, Westminster's enrollment stabilized and standardized test scores soared. James was very active in addressing teacher quality issues.