James-Christian Blockwood

James-Christian Blockwood is the Managing Director of the Strategic Planning and External Liaison office. In this role he helps GAO strategically plan for the future, drive agency-wide innovation and transformation, and strengthen the capacity of its domestic and international accountability partners. He also helped establish and oversees both the GAO Center for Audit Excellence and the GAO Center for Strategic Foresight.

Previously, he has served as a Director in the Office of Policy and Planning at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, a Deputy Director in the Office of International Affairs at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and an Intelligence Officer at the U.S. Department of Defense.

He earned an MBA and MA in Government from Johns Hopkins University, a MS of Strategic Intelligence from the National Defense Intelligence College, and a BA in International Relations from Tufts University. He is a career member of the Senior Executive Service, an inaugural Presidential Leadership Scholar and Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, and a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.