James Kolb

Jim serves as Staff Director of the House Highways and Transit Subcommittee of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee. He joined the Subcommittee in January 2007. The Subcommittee is responsible for highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety and public transportation.

Prior to joining the Subcommittee, Jim served as Senior Vice President for Xenophon Strategies, a Washington, D.C. based public and government affairs firm. Utilizing his experience working with both the Congress and federal agencies, Jim provided strategic government affairs counsel to Xenophon’s clients.

Prior to joining Xenophon Strategies Jim served as Vice President of Congressional Relations for the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). As a senior member of ARTBA’s government relations’ team, Jim served as the organization’s primary liaison to the U.S. Congress. He also played a key role in ARTBA’s efforts to advocate and communicate the transportation construction industries’ policies and concerns before the U.S. Department of Transportation, and played a leading role in the organizations legislative efforts during the development of the 2005 legislation reauthorizing of the nation’s surface transportation programs.

Jim also served as program manager for the ARTBA Railroad and Public Transportation Advisory Council, and led a successful effort to rewrite the organization’s rail and transit policy.

Jim previously spent three years on the staff of U.S. Secretary of Transportation Rodney E. Slater, serving as Director of Congressional Affairs. In this role, he was as a member of the Department’s senior political leadership team, advising the Secretary and Departmental leadership on legislative and congressional developments. He was responsible for coordinating legislative activities related to the Department’s budget, and played an active and integral role in the Administration’s efforts to secure passage of the major transportation legislation

Prior to joining DOT, Jim was a legislative representative with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters (UBC) from 1992 until 1998. In this position, he was the primary lobbyist for the UBC, a major building and construction trade union, and focused primarily on infrastructure development, employee benefits, and tax issues. He was also responsible for coordinating and implementing nationwide grassroots strategies to impact legislative and regulatory actions, and forming coalitions with other interest groups to develop strategies on issues of mutual benefit.

From 1989 to 1992, Jim served as a legislative assistant to the Doorkeeper for the U.S. House of Representatives. In his capacity, he served as the Doorkeepers primary liaison with the House floor, congressional offices and committees. He also was editor of The Floor Today, a daily summary distributed to congressional offices of legislation pending before the House.

Originally from Buffalo, New York, Jim graduated from the University of Buffalo with a B.A. in Political Science, and received a Masters of Public Policy from George Mason University.