James R. Walkinshaw was born and raised in Northern Virginia and has devoted his career to ensuring that our community remains a great place to live, work, and raise a family. During more than a decade of service as Chief of Staff to Congressman Gerry Connolly, James oversaw all aspects of the Congressman’s office and served as his chief adviser on a host of issues, working closely with state and local officials. James and his wife, Yvette, live in the Ravensworth Farm neighborhood with their son Mateo.
James graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Politics in 2005. Since 2012, he has volunteered as a mentor to at-risk youth through Fairfax County’s Befriend-A-Child program. He serves as Chairman of the Council to End Domestic Violence where he helped lead the effort to create the County’s “Make the Call” campaign to raise awareness of the 24-hour domestic and sexual violence hotline and help victims get access to the services they need. James is a former vice president of the Ravensworth Farm Civic Association, where he has spearheaded an annual awards ceremony to recognize neighborhood volunteers and serves as a block captain. He is a long-time volunteer with the Friends of Lake Accotink Park.
James serves on the following Board committees:
Standing Committees:
- Legislative, Chairman
- Older Adults, Vice-Chairman
- Public Safety, Vice-Chairman
Intergovernmental Committees:
- Northern Virginia Regional Commission
- MWCOG Board of Directors, Principal
- MWCOG Metropolitan Washington Air Quality Committee, Principal
- Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, Principal, VRE Operation
- MWCOG Region Forward Committee, Principal
- MWCOG National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board, Principal
- George Mason University Fairfax Campus Advisory Board
- Inova Health Care Services Board
- Inova Fairfax Medical Campus Quality Committee
- Inova Quality & Reliability Committee
- Virginia Association of Counties
- National Association of Counties Finance, Pensions, Intergovernmental Affairs Policy Steering Committee
- Virginia Railway Express (VRE) Executive Committee
Interjurisdictional Committees:
- District of Columbia
- Fairfax City, Chairman
