Procurement;
Open-Innovation;
Design-Thinking;
National Security
Jim Thompson serves as the Director of Government Capacity at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), where he leads a transformative initiative to modernize federal effectiveness through reforms in permitting, talent management, clean energy deployment, procurement, and strategic AI adoption. Working across executive agencies and Congress, he builds coalitions to drive systemic change in government operations and accelerate federal modernization efforts.
Prior to FAS, Jim brought over three decades of federal executive leadership experience, including serving as Director of Partnerships and Global Engagement in the National Security Council and holding key innovation and partnership roles at the State Department, USAID, and the Department of Energy. A graduate of Saint Joseph’s University and the University of Auckland, Jim lives with his husband and their three sons in Washington, D.C.
As the efficacy of environmental laws has waned, so has their durability. What was once a broadly shared goal – protecting Americans from environmental harm – is now a political football, with rules that whipsaw back and forth depending on who’s in charge.
The emphasis on interagency consensus, while well-intentioned, has become a structural impediment to bold or innovative policy options. When every agency effectively holds veto power over proposals, the path of least resistance becomes maintaining existing approaches with minor modifications.