James Kirby
James Kirby is the Founder and CEO of Saxa Innovation, a nonpartisan government relations and strategic advisory firm that helps U.S. companies and innovators navigate federal, state, and local government engagement and procurement pathways. His work centers on technology, dual-use applications, homeland security, and supporting access to DoD and civilian agency programs. James specializes in working with American manufacturers as well as emerging technology companies scaling through SBIR/STTR and broader SLED market entry pathways.
James advises clients on structuring and executing government engagement approaches that align technical capabilities and public-sector demand with broader U.S. national security priorities. This includes facilitating partnerships with state economic development offices, advancing validation pilots, and supporting long-term innovation ecosystem development.
A core component of his practice includes federal appropriations strategy and execution. James works across the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, as well as relevant authorizing committees, to design and advance defense and civilian funding requests. His experience includes developing programmatic requests, drafting report language, and coordinating stakeholder engagement to align federal resources with mission-critical technologies.
In addition to his role at Saxa Innovation, James serves as Senior Advisor of Government Affairs to the Alliance for Commercial Technology in Government where he has co-led and supported the passage of major policy advancements, including the Small Business Innovation & Economic Security Act (S.3971) SBIR/STTR reauthorization bill.
Previously James led government affairs at LG NOVA, the North American Innovation Center for LG Electronics, where he supported the launch and scaling of startups in cleantech, digital health, and artificial intelligence, with a focus on public-sector integration and commercialization pathways.
James spent over a decade at the U.S. Conference of Mayors, leading national initiatives and supporting cities in building relationships with Congress and the White House across three administrations. He played a key role in the rollout of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and contributed to the development and implementation of the ARPA State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) program.
For more than 13 years, James has supported the U.S. fire services community through his work with FAMA, FEMSA, and CFSI, helping advance over $5 billion in federal appropriations for programs including AFG, SAFER, Urban Search & Rescue (US&R), and the U.S. Fire Administration.
James holds an MBA from Georgetown University and a BA in Political Science from the University of California, Merced. He began his career supporting CAL FIRE as a fire retardant and gel technician for firefighting aircraft, establishing a long-term commitment to national resilience, first responders, and American innovation.