After 19 years on the job, Mary Dailey officially stepped down as executive director of the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition in May. Dailey is a hard act to follow, but James Mumm comes to the position with a wealth of local organizing experience.

Dailey operates at a lightning pace, and Mumm is already keeping up that tempo. “Anyone who steps into Mary’s shoes knows she runs, not walks,” said Mumm, 34. “That’s what I’m doing. It suits me.”

In his first three months on the job, Mumm oversaw the Coalition’s annual meeting and yearly celebration, planned a long-term vision meeting, and delved into more sundry tasks like building a better office database. “The organization is amazing,” said Mumm, a thick layer of grant proposals covering his desk. “I’m really excited to contribute my boundless energy.”

Overseeing a $2.5 million budget, a large base of members, and various local campaigns, anyone at the Coalition’s helm must be driven. Mumm comes to the post with a seemingly unquenchable vigor, whether it’s for protecting affordable housing, snowboarding or practicing the deceptively difficult art of Zen.

Mumm cut his teeth on grassroots work at an early age. His mother was a union organizer for the electrical workers in Buffalo and Chicago, and he got involved with her campaigns as a teenager. Mumm grew increasingly passionate about local advocacy, helping him overcome a tough childhood and bumpy academic path.

“He’s gone through a lot of stuff,” said Wanda Salaman, who co-directed Mothers on the Move (MOM), an organizing group in Longwood, with Mumm. “He can relate to the problems that Bronx people have.”

Joining the Organization of the Northeast, a Chicago group, Mumm led successful campaigns on housing, welfare rights, and other key issues. He came to New York — specifically, University Heights — in 2002 to fundraise and strengthen MOM. “He got the organization back on track financially … and started launching a lot of new stuff,” said Salaman, a Valentine Avenue resident who still directs MOM.

Mumm hopes to capitalize on his fund-raising skills for the Coalition, and to build on the group’s power and vision. “We are going to take a good look at [identifying] the issues that matter to people,” said Mumm, who was planning a summer strategic planning session.
“It’s a natural moment to do this.”

Trim and athletic, Mumm radiates confidence and intensity. “I like to win,” he said bluntly. “I hope all our elected officials are ready to deal with us.”

Mumm says he is committed to seeking out a plurality of voices and tapping that power for grassroots activism and personal development. “Some people might think he’s a smarty-pants, but he understood what our members wanted,” said Salaman, a former Coalition organizer. “He has a lot of ideas and ambition, and he listens to others.”

Part of Mumm’s openness and energy stems from his practice of meditation and Zen Buddhism. Hardly monkish, Mumm’s mantra is “joy and justice,” and his spiritual side is intrinsically linked with activism.

An avid sportsman, Mumm regularly rides his bike in the Bronx, plays basketball, hikes upstate, snowboards out west and is planning to climb two mountain peaks this summer. “Life would not be complete if I spent all my time working,” he said. “The time playing and doing things with friends feeds my energy so I can work 12-hour days.”

Those long hours have quickly come upon him, but Mumm is calm nonetheless. “I can’t think of anything I’d rather be doing,” he said.