Heritage Foundation Leadership for America

James Weidman is Director of Editorial Services for The Heritage Foundation.

Under Weidman's direction, Heritage's presence in America's newspapers and news Web sites have reached unprecedented levels. Heritage experts and research appear daily in the nation's major newspapers and magazines – both as sources for news stories and as opinion page commentators. 

In 2006, Weidman's department placed well more than 1,000 op-ed essays by Heritage experts in the nation's top newspapers and Web sites. Increasingly, outlets such as the Chicago Sun-Times, New York Post and The Washington Times ask Heritage experts to pull "double duty," serving as weekly opinion columnists in addition to their "day jobs" as policy analysts.

Before joining Heritage in 2000, Weidman previously served as Deputy Director of Regional Media Communications for the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), a Washington-based advocacy group that represents small businesses. In addition to handling public relations for NFIB Education Foundation throughout his 16 years at the organization, Weidman also developed NFIB's State Media Relations program from a two-person operation into a six-bureau shop offering full-service public relations support to the group's 50 state directors.

Before working at NFIB, Weidman was a Project Director at the National Public Research Institute, a non-profit research organization based in Alexandria, Va. There, he developed and evaluated public information and education programs for federal and state agencies.

Weidman holds a master's degree in English from the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va.