James Richard Wilkinson (born 1970) is an American political advisor who served as the chief of staff to Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson during the George W. Bush administration. He had previously served in the White House as deputy communications director and as an aide to then National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice. Overall, Wilkinson was a "well-traveled utility man for the Bush administration's PR team". Wilkinson left politics after the global financial crisis, and now works in public relations. He served The Brunswick Group as a Managing Partner from January 2009 to April 2012, when he joined PepsiCo as Executive Vice President of Communications. In 2011, he was portrayed in the HBO film Too Big to Fail by actor Topher Grace. Wilkinson works as chairman and CEO of TrailRunner International, as well as the chairman of Mountain Lion Aviation, an airline based in Sierra Nevada region. He was previously the senior vice president and head of international corporate affairs for the Alibaba Group. Early life and education Wilkinson was born in 1970 and grew up in Tenaha, Texas. He initially planned to be an undertaker. Wilkinson received his BBA in finance from University of Texas at Arlington in 1993 and his Master of Science in government from Johns Hopkins University. Career Wilkinson began his career on the staff of Republican Congressman Dick Armey, serving from 1992 to 2000. He then worked as the spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee. In 1999, during George W. Bush's campaign for President, Wilkinson helped sell the idea that Al Gore claimed to have "invented the Internet". In 2000, Wilkinson traveled to Florida to support Republican activists during the recount. Wilkinson joined the Bush Administration and worked as "White House deputy director of communications and spokesman for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's transition team". Wilkinson served as an officer in the United States Navy Reserves. His mentors have included former R.N.C. chairman Ed Gillespie and former G.W. Bush adviser Karen Hughes. As Karl Rove's choice, Wilkinson left the Bush Administration to work as the communications director for the 2004 Republican National Convention before returning to the White House under Rice. Wilkinson likes to stay behind the scenes. When asked personal questions by The New York Observer Wilkinson declined answering, saying "Staff should be seen and not heard. And biographical pieces amount to nothing more than climbing out on the seat of a dunking booth and handing