James R. Edwards

James R. Edwards, Jr., a Principal at the MITA Group, consults to corporate, association, and nonprofit clients on such matters as health care, homeland security, immigration, and Judiciary Committee issues. Dr. Edwards spent five years at the respected Healthcare Leadership Council, including lobbying on those health issues under the Judiciary Committee such as antitrust and biomedical liability protection. On Capitol Hill, Dr. Edwards served as U.S. Rep. Ed Bryant’s Legislative Director, handling the Congressman’s Judiciary Committee assignment. He also was Senior Speechwriter at the Republican National Committee, Press Secretary and Legislative Assistant for U.S. Rep. John Duncan, Jr., and began his congressional career on the staff of U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond, later becoming Sen. Thurmond’s Special Assistant on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Co-author of The Congressional Politics of Immigration Reform (Allyn & Bacon, 1999), he has written and spoken extensively on policy issues and process. Dr. Edwards has advised political campaigns, including as a Co-Chairman of the 2008 Mitt Romney for President Faith and Values Advisory Committee, Ed Bryant’s U.S. Senate campaign, and several U.S. House campaigns. He earned his doctorate at the University of Tennessee, and his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Georgia.