Jim Byron (nonprofit executive)
James T. Byron, better known as Jim Byron, is an American nonprofit executive and public administrator who was appointed by U.S. President Donald Trump to manage the National Archives and Records Administration as Senior Advisor to the Archivist of the United States, Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Byron is on a leave of absence from his role as the President and CEO of the Richard Nixon Foundation.
Early life and education
Byron is a native of Santa Monica, California and grew up in Orange County where he attended Santa Margarita Catholic High School.In 2015, he graduated from Chapman University with a bachelor's degree in business administration and a minor in history.
Career
Richard Nixon Foundation
Byron began volunteering at the Richard Nixon Foundation in 2007. Upon his college graduation, Byron joined the Nixon Foundation's full time staff. He was eventually promoted to executive vice president, and worked closely with the Nixon Foundation's then-president, Hugh Hewitt, a well-known former conservative radio host who became a mentor to Byron.Byron oversaw the Nixon Library's reopening celebration in 2016 following a 14-month renovation that had cost $15 million. In 2018, Byron published the official Nixon Library souvenir guide, A President Comes Home.
Byron was elected President and CEO of the Richard Nixon Foundation in November 2021 by the Board of Directors, succeeding Hewitt.
As President of the Nixon Foundation, Byron prioritized social media and reaching younger audiences. He has appeared on C-SPAN more than 30 times and was the guest on ‘‘Q&A’’ in December 2021.
National Archives and Record Administration
In February 2025, President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he appointed Byron as Senior Advisor to the Archivist of the United States, and charged him with “manag the National Archives on a day-to-day basis, while we continue our search for a full-time Archivist.” Trump had dismissed Archivist Colleen Shogan days before, and appointed U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the Acting Archivist. Byron took a leave of absence from the Nixon Foundation to accept the role.Byron initiated a reorganization of the National Archives. On X, he wrote, “The goal is to improve public access to incredible documents, artifacts & holdings by shifting resources to support archival transparency,” and said that the “reallocation” would save nearly $50 million, “or more than 10% of the agency’s budget.” This reportedly included 100 layoffs.