James H. Williams is Senior Vice President at BGR Group. A seasoned public policy and health care expert, James works within both the State and Local Advocacy and Health and Life Sciences practices. He brings over a decade of experience in public policy development, health care innovation, economic analysis, and government leadership across federal and state levels. He is particularly experienced in the field of technology implementation to expand delivery and administration.
Most recently, James served as Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Social Services, where he oversaw a $2.6 billion budget and managed over 14,000 employees to administer critical human services programs across the Commonwealth. Prior to that, he served as Chief Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Resources and Chief Transformation Officer for Behavioral Health under Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, spearheading major reforms in Medicaid, behavioral health, and public health infrastructure.
From 2019 to 2021, James served in the first Trump administration as Special Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy at the White House. He led key initiatives on health care affordability, drug pricing, rural telehealth access, and pandemic response. Earlier in his career, he served as an economist at the White House Council of Economic Advisers and as a consultant at The Lewin Group (UnitedHealth Group), supporting strategic, financial, and regulatory analyses.
James holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, a Master of Public Policy from the University of Virginia Batten School, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Gordon College.
Areas of Focus
- Medicaid and Behavioral Health Policy
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- MAHA Strategy
Education
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University of Chicago Booth School of Business
MBA -
University of Virginia Batten School
MPP -
Gordon College
BA