James Whitehorne is chief of the Census Redistricting and Voting Rights Data Office. James previously served as the assistant chief of the CRVRDO until attaining the position as chief in July 2015. He joined the U.S. Census Bureau's Geography Division in April 2006 as a geographer in the Geographic Areas Branch. James worked on several geographic update programs, eventually becoming the team lead for both the Redistricting Data Program and the Participant Statistical Areas Program. Prior to working for the Census Bureau, James worked 5 years as a special projects analyst in the Geographic Information Systems support group for the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

James holds both a Bachelor of Arts in Geography and a Bachelor of Science in Geography with the Geographic Information System specialty from the Pennsylvania State University. He has continued his education by completing the Oracle 9i DBA Institute from George Washington University and his post-graduate certificate in Geographic Information Systems through the Pennsylvania State University's World Campus.