James (Jim) Moore is the associate director for communications at the U.S. Census Bureau. He is responsible for leading the internal and external communications activities of the nation’s largest statistical agency. This includes oversight of media relations, web and new media, customer service, stakeholder engagement and internal communications.

With more than 23 years’ experience in federal service, Jim has built a career at the intersection of legislative affairs, public policy and intellectual property (IP) law. His work centers on driving cross-agency collaboration, fostering innovation and informing congressional action.

In 2019, Jim joined the Census Bureau on a detail assignment from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), where he served as special assistant to the associate director for communications. In that role, he led targeted outreach efforts to rural and veteran communities while also helping incorporate intellectual property themes into broader messaging about economic development and representation. By building partnerships with corporations, nonprofit organizations and faith-based groups, he helped expand the reach of 2020 Census communications and supported trusted voices in delivering clear, effective messaging to diverse communities nationwide.

Previously at USPTO, Jim served as a senior legal and policy advisor to agency leadership, providing counsel on patent and trademark law, IP legislation and interagency collaboration. A key part of his work involved engaging with Congress—briefing lawmakers, responding to oversight inquiries and helping translate technical legal concepts into practical policy solutions that inform legislative action. Returning to USPTO, Jim took the lessons learned in the 2020 Census to help the USPTO expand its reach past the IP community to rural small businesses and newly emerging farm-based agribusinesses.

In 2017, Jim served on a detail to the Office of Innovation and Investment where he assisted in Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) reauthorization process. Upon returning to the USPTO, he took the lead in helping Congress write and pass the Small Business Innovation Protection Act which President Trump signed in 2018. That legislation directed the USPTO and Small Business Administration to develop a more seamless partnership in their outreach and education programs to better serve new small businesses and start-ups.

Earlier in his career, Jim served as counsel to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. In that capacity, Jim played a key role in securing the mid-decennial Congressional funding needed to ensure the American Community Survey would be ready to replace the long form in 2010. Prior to that, he served as redistricting counsel and senior research counsel for the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Jim holds a Juris Doctor from North Carolina Central University and a Bachelor of Science in public policy analysis from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.