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Jim Byron
Official portrait, 2025
President and CEO of the
Richard Nixon Foundation
Incumbent
Assumed office
April 6, 2026[1]
Preceded byJoe Lopez (Acting)[1]
In office
November 8, 2021 – February 16, 2025 (on leave)[2]
Preceded byHugh Hewitt
Succeeded byJoe Lopez (Acting)[2]
Senior Advisor to the Archivist of the United States
In office
February 16, 2025 – April 3, 2026
PresidentDonald Trump
Personal details
BornJames T. Byron
1993 (age 32–33)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
EducationChapman University (BBA)

James T. Byron[3] (born 1993) is an American nonprofit executive and public administrator who is President and CEO of the Richard Nixon Foundation. In February 2025, he was appointed by U.S. President Donald Trump to manage the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) as Senior Advisor to the Archivist of the United States. He took a leave of absence from the Richard Nixon Foundation from February 2025 to April 2026 in order to serve in the NARA role.[2][1]

Early life and education

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Byron is a native of Santa Monica, California and grew up in Orange County[3] where he attended Santa Margarita Catholic High School.[4]

In 2015, he graduated from Chapman University with a bachelor's degree in business administration and a minor in history.[5]

Career

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Richard Nixon Foundation

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Byron began volunteering at the Richard Nixon Foundation in 2007.[5] 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.[3]

Byron oversaw the Nixon Library's reopening celebration in 2016 following a 14-month renovation that had cost $15 million.[6] In 2018, Byron published the official Nixon Library souvenir guide, A President Comes Home.[7]

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.[8] He has appeared on C-SPAN more than 30 times and was the guest on ‘‘Q&A’’ in December 2021.[9]

National Archives and Record Administration

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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[ing] the National Archives on a day-to-day basis, while we continue our search for a full-time Archivist.”[10][11] Trump had dismissed Archivist Colleen Shogan days before,[12] and appointed U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the Acting Archivist.[10] Byron took a leave of absence from the Nixon Foundation to accept the role.[13][14]

Byron with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Acting Archivist of the United States, April 23, 2025

Byron initiated a reorganization of the National Archives. On X, he wrote, “The goal [of the reorganization] 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.”[15] This reportedly included 100 layoffs.[16]

On February 5, 2026 NARA General Counsel Matt Dummermuth announced "Prior to the conclusion of his tenure, and to the extent permitted by law, Secretary Rubio delegated the authority to perform the functions of the Archivist to James Byron, who continues to serve as Senior Advisor to the Archivist."[17]

On March 26, 2026, Byron announced to National Archives staff that his last day as Senior Advisor to the Archivist of the United States would be April 3, 2026.[18][19] He returned to the Richard Nixon Foundation on April 6, 2026.[1]

Personal life

[edit]

Byron lives in Costa Mesa and enjoys playing tennis and golf.[7] In 2022, he received Chapman University’s Distinguished Alumni Award.[8]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 Anderson, Carrie (April 9, 2026). "Jim Byron Resumes Role as Nixon Foundation President & CEO After Public Service in Washington, D.C." (Press release). Richard Nixon Foundation.
  2. 1 2 3 "Nixon Foundation President Takes Leave to Manage National Archives". Richard Nixon Foundation. 2025-02-17. Retrieved 2025-04-25.
  3. 1 2 3 Good, Steve (2022-01-19). "Jim Byron - Chapman". Phi Delta Theta. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  4. ↑ "Explore & Learn at the Richard Nixon Library". Orange Review. 2021-09-01. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  5. 1 2 "Nixon Foundation Builds Strong Ties at Chapman University with Alumnus at the Helm". Chapman University. 2022-03-21. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  6. ↑ "Remodeled Nixon library makes peace with the past as it becomes more modern". Orange County Register. 2016-07-07. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  7. 1 2 "Jim Byron". Richard Nixon Foundation | Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Museum. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  8. 1 2 Peter J. Brennan (2022-12-05). "History Lessons". Orange County Business Journal. Retrieved 2025-04-25.
  9. ↑ "Q&A - Jim Byron". C-SPAN.com. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  10. 1 2 Trump, Donald (2025-02-16). "'I am pleased to announce that Jim Byron will be serving as Senior Advisor to our Acting Archivist, United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Jim will manage the National Archives on a day-to-day basis, while we continue our search for a full-time Archivist. Jim has worked with the National Archives for many years, and understands the great responsibility and duty we have to preserve the History of our Great Country.'". Truth Social. Retrieved 2025-02-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  11. ↑ Lauren Irwin (2025-02-16). "Trump names Jim Byron to senior archivist role". The Hill. Retrieved 2025-04-25.
  12. ↑ Watson, Kathryn (2025-02-07). "Trump fires archivist of the United States, official who oversees government records - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2025-02-08.
  13. ↑ Foundation, Nixon (2025-02-17). "Nixon Foundation President Takes Leave to Manage U.S. National Archives » Richard Nixon Foundation | Blog". Richard Nixon Foundation | Blog. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  14. ↑ Irwin, Lauren (2025-02-16). "Trump names Jim Byron to senior archivist role". The Hill. Archived from the original on 2025-05-04. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  15. ↑ Byron, Jim (2025-05-22). ""On April 16, 2025 the National Archives began strategically reallocating its resources to make NARA a leaner, more efficient agency. The goal is to improve public access to incredible documents, artifacts & holdings by shifting resources to support archival transparency."". Retrieved 2025-09-12 – via X.
  16. ↑ Eric Katz (2025-06-16). "Trump administration resumes layoffs, targeting National Archives staff". Government Executive. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  17. ↑ Aleena Fayaz. "Marco Rubio drops one of his job titles, while still juggling several other hats". Cable News Network. Retrieved 2026-02-05.
  18. ↑ Sam Brody (2026-03-30). "Did Rubio violate federal law by overstaying his National Archivist stint? This senator thinks so". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2026-03-30. On Thursday afternoon, the NARA spokesperson told the Globe that Byron is both performing the functions of the Archivist while continuing to serve as "senior adviser to the Archivist." But hours before, Byron had already announced his departure in an agency-wide email reviewed by the Globe. The spokesperson confirmed he will leave April 3 — and did not respond when asked who will be running the agency.(subscription required)
  19. ↑ Jennifer Schuessler (2026-03-31). "At the National Archives, the Declaration Gets More Company". The New York Times. Retrieved 2026-04-01. Mr. Byron announced last week that he will be leaving on April 3.(subscription required)
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