James Gabonay has had a lifelong passion for Color Guard beginning with his career as a performer at Norwin High School and later as a member of the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps. From there, James transitioned to become both a designer and educator for many award winning programs including Spirit of Atlanta (2019-2021), Norwin High School (10 Time WGI Scholastic World Finalist, 2021 BOA Grand National AA Champion), Collage Winter Guard (2022 WGI Ind. A Class Finalists), Gateway High School (2014 Scholastic A WGI Finalist), and many others.

James served as the caption head for the 2023 season and has now moved into the role of Color Guard Designer for the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps. He holds a dual degree from the University of Pittsburgh in Social Studies Education and History. While not spending time with his dog Prince, James is a Geography teacher at Seven Lakes High School in Katy, Texas, where he also serves as the Color Guard Coordinator. He is currently the owner of JDGDesigns, where he continues to work with multiple pageantry organizations across the country and serves as a sales representative for Prop Vinyls.