James Ballinger graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. He was a Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) scholarship student and immediately began working in the Cabinet’s training program at the District 7 office. During his career, he served in various roles, including construction resident engineer, branch manager for construction and branch manager for pre-construction. He retired in December 2014 as the chief district engineer from Highway District 7. After a short break, Ballinger began working at the Kentucky Transportation Center at the University of Kentucky, serving as a research and training engineer. In September 2015, he joined Vaughn & Melton Consulting Engineers and served as the Lexington office leader. He rejoined the KYTC in August 2020 when he was appointed state highway engineer. Ballinger and his wife, Carrie, live on their family farm in Rockcastle County.