Huggins Joins Team Craig

Upton, MA …Today Shawn Craig, Republican candidate for State Representative and Iraq war veteran, announced his campaign manager will be Dr. Jim Huggins.

"It was immediately apparent upon first meeting Jim that he shares a similar passion and dedication to our country and being of continued service to people in all facets of life. Throughout my professional career, I have consistently surrounded myself with those who excel in the performance of their duties.  Jim brings a vast amount of experience and more importantly shares a very specific set of leadership traits by which I continuously demand and measure my own thoughts and actions.  We also communicate well with each other given our shared military background that includes his strategic and tactical planning and my boots on the ground execution,” said Craig.

Jim Huggins began his career in the Air Force.  He was appointed the Executive Officer for the largest directorate in Space Command.  Among his various tours, Jim served at the Pentagon as well as HQ US Central Command during Operation Desert Storm.  He has received numerous awards including the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, two Joint Service Commendation Medals and the Air Force Commendation Medal.

Huggins has had a successful career in the private sector.  He was part of the global management team between AMR and CSX; two of the world’s largest transportation companies.  In 2009 he established New Shepherd Films with a mission to produce family and faith content films.

Huggins is a graduate of Campbell University.  He completed graduate studies at the University of Colorado and the Air Force Academy.  He received his M.S. in engineering from California Coast University and earned his Ph.D. in 1999.  Most recently, Dr. Huggins was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity for his efforts at promoting family-friendly, faith-based entertainment.

“I joined this team because I believe political office is, first and foremost, about character and leadership.  It takes courage, dedication, and faith to stand up, step out and represent the real interests of real people, especially when they’re in opposition to the ‘business as usual’ mentality of government.  At last, we have a candidate in Shawn Craig who has a proven record of leadership…a record earned in both the deserts of the Middle East and the business offices here at home…who will not approach our representation as ‘business as usual’ but instead provide a professional, proven approach to the challenges on Beacon Hill.”

Huggins will be helping organize Craig’s grassroots team in the three towns.  Craig plans an aggressive door knocking effort, phone banks, sign holding and leaflet drops.  The team has already been collecting signatures.

Craig is a member of the Upton Finance Committee and is the liaison to the Mendon Upton Regional School District.  He is also the Vice-Chairman of the Mendon-Upton Multi-Board Task Force.  In addition, he is an active member of the VFW and Upton Men’s Club.

Professionally, Craig has 18 years of private sector experience with the majority spent within the financial services industry.  He worked for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) for 8.5 years where he investigated broker-dealers for compliance with federal securities laws and FINRA rules and regulations.  One investigation of which he was the team lead resulted in the discovery of fraud and misrepresentation at a firm located in Braintree, MA.  Craig drafted a referral whereby the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission became engaged along with the FBI.  The firm’s owner was detained October 2, 2012 and sentenced in April 2013 to 17 years in federal prison plus 3 years supervised probation and $9 million in restitution. Craig left FINRA in 2013 to start a consulting business focused on helping small broker-dealers.

Craig earned his B.A. from Roanoke College, where he double majored in International Relations and Business, and an M.S. in Finance from Suffolk University in Boston.