Xanthia James

Xanthia James is a career federal civil servant with 19 years of experience in financial assistance policy, administration, and acquisition management. She currently serves as branch chief of the Financial Assistance Requirements Branch in the National Science Foundation’s Office of Award Management, a role she has held since January 2025.

Prior to joining the National Science Foundation, James was the division director for the Grants Policy Division at the National Institutes of Health within the Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration. She also served as a senior grants policy specialist in the Office of Grants Management at the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of the Secretary.

Earlier in her career, James worked as a grants policy analyst at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the Office of Grants Policy, Oversight and Evaluation (now the Division of Policy, Oversight and Evaluation). She has also held multiple roles in financial assistance and acquisition management at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Health Resources and Services Administration.