Jim Murley has spent over four decades working on public policy issues important to Florida. He was the founding Executive Director of 1000 Friends of Florida, a statewide not-for-profit focused on sound community planning and the protection of natural resources. Murley served as Secretary of the Department of Community Affairs under Governor Lawton Chiles working on comprehensive planning, economic development, energy, and emergency management issues. He has served on various state commissions including the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, and Florida Communities Trust, and most recently served three years as the Chair of the Florida Energy and Climate Commission. Murley spent over 10 years with Florida Atlantic University overseeing research on urban and environmental issues. He helped author sections of the 2014 National Climate Assessment and serves on several county-level Task Forces focusing on energy and climate issues. He is a graduate of Leadership Florida and a Fellow of the National Academy for Public Administration.

He currently serves as Chief Resilience Officer (CRO) for Miami-Dade County. In that position, he leads the 7th largest County in the United States in sustainability and resilience issues. He leads the Office of Resilience focusing on energy efficiency and conservation actions and addressing the impacts of sea level rise.