James William Uthmeier (born November 20, 1987) is an American political campaign strategist and lawyer, who since 2021 has served as Chief of Staff to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
[1] He attended Fort Walton Beach High School and later graduated from the University of Florida, where he had competed for the Florida Gators track and field program.
[3] He then joined the office of Florida governor Ron DeSantis as deputy general counsel in 2019, then was promoted in 2020 to general counsel.
[4] On January 16, 2025, DeSantis announced that he would appoint Attorney General Ashley Moody to the United States Senate to succeed Marco Rubio in the event that he is confirmed to become United States Secretary of State.
[5] He also anounced that he would appoint Uthmeier to succeed Moody as attorney general.