James W. Jackson

James W. Jackson is the acting chief counsel for NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. He is responsible for Glenn’s Office of the General Counsel’s management and strategy, as well as providing legal advice and counsel to senior executives and top-level managers. In this role, Jackson is a member of the Glenn and General Counsel senior leadership teams. 

Prior to this position, Jackson was lead counsel for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate and Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate in Washington, D.C. Jackson started his career at NASA as an attorney working with clients at Glenn and throughout the agency in the areas of contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, commercial partnerships, intellectual property, ethics, and personnel law.  

Before joining NASA in 2015, Jackson was an associate attorney with Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease LLP in the commercial real estate and finance practice group. He also has experience as a marketing manager for a large consumer electronics company where he was responsible for the strategy and sales growth of an expansive multistate territory. 

Jackson earned his law degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law and his MBA and bachelor’s degree in business administration from Xavier University. 

Jackson is the recipient of numerous awards, including the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal, the NASA Glenn HEROICS Award, multiple NASA Office of General Counsel Teamwork Awards, and numerous NASA Group Achievement Awards.