Commissioner
Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services
Jim is a native of Martinsville, VA. After a sledding injury in 1965, he completed his college education at St. Andrews Presbyterian College, Laurinburg, NC, and obtained his master’s degree in 1978 from Virginia Commonwealth University.
For more than 40 years, Jim has been involved in human services advocacy and programming, serving in positions including counselor, trainer, lobbyist, adjunct professor, and executive director. He has served as an agency head in the Wilder, Warner, Kaine, McDonnell, and McAuliffe Administrations. As the first Commissioner of the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, he leads the agency’s efforts to provide and advocate for the highest quality of services and supports to help vintage Virginians and Virginians with disabilities realize successful careers and independent lives in livable communities.