Jim guides clients through regulatory and public-policy battles, corporate transactions, crises, and consequential campaigns. Together with his team, Jim built the firm on the playbook he wrote managing President Obama’s 2012 re-election–the campaign that fused data, technology, and politics and set the model every winning campaign since has followed.
Since founding the firm, Jim and his team have delivered political, policy, and corporate wins across six continents. His counsel is trusted by more than a dozen presidents and prime ministers, and by global companies in their most consequential moments, from regulatory fights to reputational crises to pivotal growth decisions. He brings the same discipline that wins campaigns–clear strategy, hard data, and relentless execution–to boardrooms and capitals alike. A frequent voice on CNN, Bloomberg, Fox News, BBC, and MS NOW, Jim is one of the most sought-after political and corporate strategists.
Jim served as President Obama’s White House Deputy Chief of Staff, where he drove passage of the Affordable Care Act, the Recovery Act, and the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”—work that earned him the nickname “the Fixer.” Earlier, he spent more than a decade on Capitol Hill in both the House and the Senate, including as chief of staff and senior adviser to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, helping advance major tax, trade, and healthcare legislation.
Jim is Lead Independent Director of LanzaTech and serves on the boards of Blockchain.com, Fortera, Vectra AI, and the U.S. Soccer Foundation. He also serves on The Wilderness Society’s Governing Council and The Montana Land Reliance’s Council of Trustees. Jim earned a B.A. in journalism and political science from the University of Montana. He is also a minority owner of Leeds United football club.