James Burroughs

James Burroughs joined Children’s Minnesota as the first chief equity and inclusion officer in January 2019, and is now the senior vice president, government and community relations, chief equity and inclusion officer. He is responsible for advancing equity and inclusion across the organization as well as leading advocacy, government affairs and community relations.

Mr. Burroughs’ key focus areas include patient quality initiatives, employee recruitment and retention strategies, organizational culture and increasing financial investment with diverse businesses and initiatives that address the social determinants of health for patients and families. He also leads Children’s Minnesota’s efforts to foster community relations, and accelerate engagement in government affairs to advocate for policies that positively impact the health and well-being of children.

Mr. Burroughs has more than 25 years of experience in the areas of nonprofit management, equity, diversity, inclusion, as well as employment law. Prior to Children’s Minnesota, Mr. Burroughs served in the Office of Governor Mark Dayton, where he was the State of Minnesota’s first chief inclusion officer. Mr. Burroughs has a juris doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., and completed his bachelor of arts in political science at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. He is the proud father of Teresa Ann Burroughs.