James ("Jai") Leon Powell

When little James Leon Powell was born on October 4, 1957 he brought untold joy to the marriage of Leon and Mattie Powell of Atlanta, and completed their small, loving family circle.

He grew up in their warm, nurturing, God-centered home, where he was taught the value of family, education, hard work, creativity and beauty. He loved to read and research all the exciting possibilities the world seemed to hold. His sense of adventure and wonder were his constant companions.

At Northside High School in Atlanta, his intelligence and love of learning new things shone through, and he was generally known as a "smart fellow with eclectic tastes." He did very well in his studies, was popular, played guitar in the Northside Band and had a variety of outside interests. He prided himself on learning how to operate most of the rides at Six Flags over Georgia when he worked there during his summers.

After graduation in 1975, Jai, as he was called, went on to Georgia State University, where he majored in Business and Communications. For a short while, he worked as an aide to former U.S. Representative and Senator Wyche Fowler, until music and the entertainment industry wooed him away.

Jai joined Casablanca Records as the youngest Marketing Manager at major record company in the United States. He was responsible for a six state region and helped double Casablanca's revenue in one year. His favorite awards were the two Gold Records he received for his part in selling more than a million records each of Donna Summer's hit record, "Last Dance" and the Parliament Funkadelic's sensation, "Flashlight'.

Jai's passion for Technology, Information and Business possibilities were constants in his life. Always a techie, he and his friend and fellow techie, Donald Cook conceived of and created a digital way to track record air play before others in the music industry figured it out.

Jai was a possibility thinker, a dreamer, consistently aspirational and sometimes extravagant. His interests continued to be eclectic. After Casablanca, he worked on a number of management projects and eventually started his own company, J.L. Powell and Associates. He defined his company as specializing in "AI enhanced Enterprise Applications, Project Planning and Scope, Design and Risk Matrix Management, Project Monitoring and Control, Project Closing, Project Management in OIL, LNG infrastructure, Energy, Ethane, & LNG Supply, Marketing and Logistics, Mining, Construction, Communication, and IT industries."

Business colleague and longtime friend, Attorney Veronica Pagenel Espaillat, called James "charismatic, enthusiastic, and disarmingly sincere. He believed deeply in possibility: in reaching out, in asking, in trying, and in refusing to accept limits simply because they existed. James had the kind of energy that made people feel seen, encouraged, and capable of more than they had believed possible. His willingness to connect with anyone who could contribute to a vision — often boldly reaching out, invoking networks, and opening doors — was a hallmark of his approach to life and work."

Jai had a real love for science, research, little known facts, animals, art, deep sea fishing, hunting, salsa dancing, sharp clothing, delicious food, NASCAR and Formula 1 racing, scuba diving, beautiful jewelry, the latest gadgets, world travel and a good, juicy story.

But most of all, he loved Pam. He met Pamela Breedlove, the love of his life, late in his life. Though they came from different life experiences, Pam shared more of his interests than anyone he had met before. Together, they traveled the world, enjoyed fine dining, high fashion, technology, parties, art, community projects and many years of laughter.

Pamela died suddenly in 2023. Afterwards, Jai committed himself to designing
Pamela AI, a platform to help health professionals triage, diagnose and treat their patients with the assistance of artificial intelligence. Jai even continued to work on Pamela AI from his hospital bed, after he too became ill in the summer of 2025.

For eight months he bounced between hospitals and rehab facilities, often teetering near death, then surprising doctors when he bounced back, full of optimism and plans for the future, even once surviving a full cardiac arrest.

But Jai's adventurous, passionate and resilient life finally came to an end on Tuesday, February 17, 2026. One doctor shared that "he had never had a patient who had such a true love of life" and that it had been an honor to be his physician.

Jai was blessed with true love, lifelong friendships and the best neighbor in the world. That neighbor, Andrew Maginnis, heroically fed and cared for his precious dog, Roxanne and his two cats, Christian and Princess Midnight for nearly a year. Jai's cousin, who was like a big sister, Felicia Jeter Randolph (Henry) and Pamela's niece, Debra Leathers (David) coordinated his healthcare and affairs. Dear cousins and friends, near and far, checked on him by phone and text. He leaves behind a large family of loving relatives, partners and friends.

James Leon ( "Jai' ) Powell was dearly loved and his unique way of walking through the world will long be remembered.