The Council of State Governments has named Representative James Lomax a recipient of the 2025 CSG 20 Under 40 Leadership Award. The award honors the bipartisan leadership and public service of 20 emerging elected and appointed state officials across all four CSG regions.
“It’s an incredible honor to be recognized among the nation’s top rising public officials. I’m deeply grateful to my colleagues, my constituents, and my family for their unwavering support. Alabama’s tomorrows are brighter than today, and I’ll continue working to ensure it stays that way,” Lomax said of the award.
Established in 2020 through the vision of former New Hampshire Senator Lou D’Allesandro—a public servant of more than five decades—the CSG 20 Under 40 Leadership Award was created during his tenure as CSG National Chair to strengthen engagement with younger state leaders.
Since then, the CSG 20 Under 40 community has annually welcomed a new class of inspiring public servants under the age of 40 who make meaningful contributions to their communities while exemplifying the core CSG values of civility, collaboration and innovation.
“This year’s CSG 20 Under 40 honorees are each exceptional leaders in their states. Collectively, they represent the best of America,” said David Adkins, CSG executive director/CEO. “These young leaders pursue public service with passion, and they understand the value of working collaboratively to get things done. While they have already accomplished a lot, I’m confident these state officials will make a difference for decades to come.”
Lomax was selected from a competitive pool of applicants who demonstrated excellence in one or more of the following areas:
- Ability to engage officials across party, departments, branch and/or state lines in meaningful ways to advance the common good for their state/territory.
- Provide exceptional leadership to a state project, committee, chamber, commission or special group.
- Serve as a champion of change and seek to enhance the lives of all constituents within a specific policy area.
A recognition ceremony for the 2025 recipients will take place at the CSG National Conference, December 9-13, in Chicago. Leaders from all 56 states and U.S. territories will be in attendance to exchange ideas, address complex state policy issues and celebrate the work of outstanding public servants.
