James Valle is using his years of experience as a local corporate accountant to educate young professionals about business ethics.
Valle, head of Newport Beach-based James Valle & Co. CPAs, is relaunching his organization The International Economic Justice League (IEJL) after several years of setbacks.
The organization, also based in Newport Beach, got its start as a nonprofit in 2016 with its first chapter in the Philippines, in hopes that it would help instill positive international investment practices. It later worked in Central America.
After the earlier efforts ran into various difficulties, the IEJL in October started a Founders’ Circle to bring in much-needed revenue to help the organization’s goals of promoting ethical business practices by recruiting people as members to bring practices into their respective professions.
Its anti-corruption tools also include education and social networking. There will also be formal coursework as well as job boards to help the organization’s members.
Valle says that young people between the ages of 18 and 30, especially university students, are the most likely recruits, while the relaunch is starting in Southern California.
Fundraising Goals
Where does Valle see the group a year from now?
“I see IEJL fully funded. I see us with programs throughout the U.S. I see us in Vietnam. I see us in South Africa, Philippines, Chad, Egypt,” he told the Business Journal.
His group is focusing more on the governance prong of the three-pronged ESG, or environmental, social and governance framework.
“In 2016, I looked around and said if there is one thing that I should make a difference in that’s not really being addressed is corruption,” Valle said.
The organization counts 20 staff members, all on a volunteer basis.
It also counts 22 advisers on its board, including representatives of academia, business and the legal profession from the U.S. and abroad.
For organizations to become an IEJL affiliate, “they have to follow our guidelines and our certification process,” he said.
“If sustainable impact is the goal, behavioral change is needed on a generational scale from people all over the world and it is needed now,” IEJL said.
It’s Time
IEJL engages businesses from all aspects of society, including merchants, consumers, employers and employees.
The organization also plans to launch a PR campaign called “It’s Time” focused on Orange County.
Initial members of the Founders’ Circle, which will raise money for these efforts, include Valle, Newport Beach-based Mamey Investment Corp. and brokerage NAI Capital, according to IEJL.
