Jim Duff graduated magna cum laude from the UK Honors Program in 1975, and holds B.A. degrees in both political science and philosophy. While at UK, Duff earned a Phi Beta Kappa membership and was a “walk on” for the University of Kentucky Men’s basketball team.

From 1996-2000, Duff served as counselor William H. Rehnquist and was appointed as the director of the U.S. court system by Chief Justice John Roberts in 2006, where he oversaw the federal judiciary's 35,000 employees and its $7 billion annual budget. Last year, Duff was named the president and CEO of the Newseum, an interactive museum that educates the public about the importance of the First Amendment in innovative ways to inspire an engaged citizenry.