James “Jim” Cook, Board Director, has a 40+ year career assisting federal, state and local government organizations to deliver results for the public. He currently serves as Founder and CEO of Action to Impact LLC, a consulting and research endeavor focused on good government through workforce and technology innovation. His career has involved management experience in mission operations; consulting on strategy and business transformation; and applied research. Previously, as Vice President for Strategic Engagement and Partnerships with the nonprofit MITRE Corporation, he led interactions with elected officials in the executive branch and Congress. He also promoted development of new corporate strategic partnerships with the private sector, academia, and other nonprofits, associations, and foundations to address public interest challenges at the federal, state, and municipal levels. In addition, he provided executive leadership for MITRE’s policy analysis work and technology transition activities. He championed an initiative to develop and pilot a federal government program to help the federal agencies recruit neurodistinct candidates into cybersecurity jobs. He also served as Vice President and Director of the Center for Enterprise Modernization (CEM), a federally funded research and development center MITRE operates for the departments of the Treasury and Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) where he worked with federal agencies and external partners to transform agency missions through new business models and applied technology. He is an active leader in the innovation community. He also was appointed to represent MITRE on the Virginia Chamber of Commerce Board of Trustees, and he also represented MITRE on the Chambers’ Innovation and Technology Executive Committee. 

He was a founding member of the American Council for Technology (ACT), and Industry Advisory Council (IAC) Institute for Innovation, which he currently chairs. He currently sits on the DMV Regional Congress and the steering committee for the Potomac Quantum Innovation Center (PQIC), and he chairs its Quantum Policy and Ethics Center. He was recently elected to be a Fellow with the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA). He holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Maryland, College Park.