James Barham, PhD

Barham leads Rural Development’s Innovation Center (IC) and oversees regulations development, data analytics, program evaluation and strategic engagement across rural development. He currently serves as the Assistant Chief Data Officer for USDA Rural Development, as well as the Director for the Data Analytics Division of the Innovation Center – an office devoted to developing innovative products, policies and practices to empower rural community transformation.  As the Data Analytics Director, he leads a team of data scientists committed to harnessing the power of data to enhance evidence-based decision-making.  As the Assistant Chief Data Officer for Rural Development (RD), he leads the implementation of RD’s data governance strategy.  Barham has been part of the USDA family since 2007, starting in the Agricultural Marketing Service as an agricultural economist, where he worked to improve marketing opportunities for small and mid-size producers through a combination of research, technical assistance, and financial support.