James B. King was sworn in as the Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management on April 7, 1993, in a ceremony at American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts. He was appointed by President Bill Clinton to serve as the Federal Government's top personnel official, and was confirmed by the Senate on April 2, 1993.
For more than 25 years, Jim King has worked at the Federal, State and local levels of Government, as well as major universities. He is an experienced policymaker who has been active in strategic planning, Government administration, and labor negotiations. He has worked in the White House and the Executive Branch, and served Members of Congress.
From July 1991 until his swearing in as OPM Director, Jim King was the State Office Chief of Staff to Senator John Kerry (D-MA). During this period, he was a senior advisor, planning and directing legislative and community affairs efforts, as well as supervising legislative and constituent service staff. He served as a Special Assistant to Senator Edward M. Kennedy several years before working with Senator Kerry.
In the early years of his career, Jim King held a variety of positions in education, research and community action. In October 1977, Jim King became a member of the National Transportation Safety Board and was named Chair within five months. At the end of his tenure there in January 1982, he was still serving as Chairman of that agency. As a result of his management initiatives, the number of major accident investigations doubled without staff increases, and overall agency productivity increased significantly. He also served President Jimmy Carter as Special Assistant to the President, Office of Presidential Personnel.
In 1982, Jim King returned to Boston to accept the position of Associate Vice President at Harvard University. He left Harvard University to become Senior Vice President at Northeastern University.
King has served as Chair of the Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission, Member of the National Council on the Arts and Humanities, and Chair and President of the Massachusetts Cultural Alliance. He is a past commander of Disabled American Veterans, Chapter 94, Ludlow, Massachusetts. He has a Bachelor of Art's degree and an honorary doctorate from American International College in Springfield, MA. He is a Fellow of Harvard's Institute of Politics; John F. Kennedy School of Government, and completed the Program for Senior Managers in Government, Harvard School of Business Administration.
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