James H. Burch, II is the Acting Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), where he has served for nearly 15 years. Prior to his appointment as the Acting Director, Mr. Burch served as the Deputy Director for Policy at BJA, overseeing an office and efforts designed to provide leadership in criminal justice policy, training, and technical assistance and to further the administration of justice. The Policy Office also acts as a liaison to national organizations that partner with BJA to develop policy guidance and help disseminate information on best and promising practices. The Policy Office focuses in the areas of law enforcement, information sharing, courts, community and institutional corrections, drug policy and substance abuse, mental health in the justice system, tribal justice, and crime prevention. Formerly, Mr. Burch was the Director of the Special Emphasis Division at the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), the Department's lead agency for addressing youth violence and delinquency prevention and strengthening the juvenile justice system.

Immediately prior to joining the Department of Justice, Mr. Burch worked as a contractor on various DOJ programs and issues. Like many of the staff in BJA, Mr. Burch also has professional experience at the local levelworking for several years on case and records management and automation for the Circuit Court in Prince George's County, Maryland, and as a civilian within a local law enforcement agency. Mr. Burch has been the co-author of several DOJ publications on anti-gang strategies and has served as a guest instructor at the Federal Bureau of Investigations National Academy for state and local law enforcement executives. Mr. Burch has a Master of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University, with a focus on administration and law enforcement issues and a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland at College Park. Having come from family of law enforcement and public safety officers, Mr. Burch has dedicated his professional career to bringing local justice needs and understanding to the forefront of BJA efforts and, as a result, serving local justice and public safety in a more responsive and responsible manner.