James F. Cussen is a member of the Caddo Tribe of Oklahoma. He began his career with the Indian Health Service (IHS), an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services, in 1977. His initial assignment with the IHS was in the Oklahoma City Area Office as a Public Health Advisor for the Office of Tribal Development and Operations.

Mr. Cussen has since held positions as Acting Service Unit Director at the Tahlequah Service Unit, Lawton Service Unit, Wewoka Service Unit and Service Unit Director for the Shawnee Service Unit. His past assignments include Oklahoma Area Community Health Representative Coordinator, Area Emergency Medical Services Coordinator, Project Officer, and Area Awards Coordinator. Mr. Cussen served as the Oklahoma Area Service Unit Director representative on the National Council of the Service Unit Directors (NCSUD), a national organization of all the IHS Service Unit Directors, and later served as Chairman for the NCSUD. As the Chairman for the NCSUD, he also served as a member of the Indian Health Design Team, a workgroup of tribal, urban, IHS, and Indian organization representatives that provided recommendations for the restructuring of the IHS. He also represented the Service Unit Directors at the quarterly management meetings of the Council of IHS Area and Associate Directors.

As the Director of Urban Indian Health Programs, Mr. Cussen is responsible for evaluating program operations, procedures, and management systems. He is also responsible for implementing improvements developed through collaborative efforts with the urban health programs and urban organizations, tribes, and tribal organizations, as well as with federal, state, and local governments and foundations. Additionally, he serves as the principal advisor to the Director, IHS, on issues related to urban Indian health issues.

The IHS is the principal federal health care provider and health advocate for Indian people. It is composed of 12 regional (Area) offices and a system of hospitals and clinics. The agency works with tribal and urban programs to provide health services to approximately 1.5 million American Indians and Alaska Natives who belong to more than 550 federally recognized tribes in 35 states.

Mr. Cussen received his bachelor of arts degree in psychology from the Oklahoma College Liberal Arts, Chickasha, Oklahoma. He earned his master of education degree in special education from the University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma. He is a U.S. Army Airborne veteran who served from January 1962 to December 1964.