James-Denton (JD) Wyllie is Director of CDER’s Office of Communications (OCOMM). He oversees CDER’s public outreach and internal communications programs. His expertise includes public affairs program management, strategic communications planning, organizational marketing, digital communication operations, community communications outreach, writing and editing, media relations and crisis communications.

Before joining CDER, Mr. Wyllie served as Director for the Office of Communications at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) – the nation’s premiere agricultural research agency. At ARS, he managed communication efforts to inform the public about USDA-led solutions to global agricultural challenges and gained support for agency programs among the media, industry, Congress and other ARS stakeholders. He also managed the agency’s internal communications program.

Prior to his time at USDA, Mr. Wyllie served as Deputy Director for the U.S. Navy Office of Information’s External Communications Division, overseeing headquarter digital engagement operations and leading global strategy development for online and social media outreach and content marketing. He also served as the Marketing Officer for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and as the Command Information Officer for the U.S. Army’s Fort McPherson and Fort Gillem.

Mr. Wyllie holds a bachelor’s degree in public relations from Florida International University and earned a Certificate of Mastery from the Federal Executive Institute. He is also a U.S. Army veteran, completing public affairs missions in the Philippines, Honduras, Alaska and Afghanistan. Mr. Wyllie is a member of the Senior Executive Service.

Related Information

• CDER Leadership Bios