Jim Shelton
Jim Shelton | |
|---|---|
| United States Deputy Secretary of Education | |
| In office May 2013 – January 4, 2015 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Anthony W. Miller |
| Succeeded by | Mick Zais |
| Personal details | |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | Morehouse College (BS) Stanford University (MEd, MBA) |
James H. Shelton III is the chief executive officer of Blue Meridian Partners.[1] He was previously the Deputy Secretary of the United States Department of Education, and the head of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative's Education division.[2][3]
Shelton also serves on the board of directors for Duolingo.[4]
Early life and education
Shelton holds a bachelor's degree in computer science from Morehouse College, as well as master's degrees in business administration and education from Stanford University.[5]
Career
Earlier in his career, Shelton spent four years in Atlanta with McKinsey & Company. He left as a senior manager to join Knowledge Universe, Inc., where he launched, acquired, and operated education-related businesses.[6] Shelton also co-founded LearnNow, a school management company later acquired by Edison Schools, and subsequently served as the East Coast lead for venture philanthropy fund New Schools.[7]
Shelton also served as program director for education at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,[8] where he managed portfolios ranging from $2 to $3 billion in non-profit investments, targeting increased high school and college graduation rates.[9]
Shelton joined the Department of Education in March 2009, to lead its office of innovation and improvement.[10] In that position, he a portfolio that included most of the Department's competitive programs, such as the Investing in Innovation Fund (i3), Promise Neighborhoods, and others focused on teacher and leader quality, school choice, and learning technology.[11] He later served as Deputy Secretary of Education from May 2013 to December 2014 under Arne Duncan.[12]
Shelton was also the founding executive director of My Brother's Keeper Challenge.[1] In 2015, Shelton joined education company 2U as president and chief impact officer.[13][14] He then joined the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, serving as president of its education division from 2016 to 2018.[13]Shelton subsequently founded the advisory firm Amandla Enterprises,[15] and was named to Duolingo's board of directors in October 2020.[4]
Shelton joined nonprofit organization Blue Meridian Partners in 2020, as chief investment and impact officer.[15] In March 2025, he later was appointed the role as the organization's president and chief executive officer. [1][16][17][18]
Personal life
Shelton currently resides in his hometown, Washington, D.C., with his wife Sonia and their two sons.[10]
References
- ^ a b c "Blue Meridian, a Big-Bet Funder, Promotes Jim Shelton to CEO". The Chronicle of Philanthropy. 2024-12-12. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
- ^ "Jim Shelton Leaving Department of Education (EdSurge News)". EdSurge. Retrieved 2016-11-15.
- ^ "Mark Zuckergberg's Foundation Has a New Chief On The Education Front". Fortune. 2016-05-04. Retrieved 2016-11-15.
- ^ a b "Jim Shelton - Director". Duolingo. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
- ^ Rouston, Joyce (2011-04-01). "James H. Shelton: We Must Transform Schools". Stanford Graduate School of Business. Retrieved 2025-12-17.
- ^ Newton, Edmund. "The Root 100 Close-Up: James Shelton". The Root. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
- ^ "No. 2 U.S. education official heads for exit". Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
- ^ "James Shelton Confirmed as Deputy Secretary of Education -". THE Journal. Retrieved 2026-01-16.
- ^ Guynn, Jessica. "Zuckerberg taps Shelton to run education effort". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2026-01-16.
- ^ a b "James H. Shelton, III, Deputy Secretary—Biography". www2.ed.gov. 15 January 2015.
- ^ "Speaker: Jim Shelton: Gov 2.0 Summit 2010 - Co-produced by UBM TechWeb & O'Reilly Conferences, September 07 - 08, 2010, Washington, DC". www.gov2summit.com. Archived from the original on 2016-11-15. Retrieved 2016-11-15.
- ^ "The Obama Education Profit Seekers". The Wall Street Journal. 25 March 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- ^ a b "Why Jim Shelton Decided to Join 2U - EdSurge News". EdSurge. 2015-06-03. Retrieved 2025-12-17.
- ^ Herold, Benjamin (2018-07-11). "Jim Shelton to Step Down as Head of Chan Zuckerberg's Education Initiative". Education Week. ISSN 0277-4232. Retrieved 2025-12-17.
- ^ a b Paris, Wendy (2024-02-21). "A Conversation With Jim Shelton of Blue Meridian Partners". www.insidephilanthropy.com. Retrieved 2026-03-17.
- ^ Korn, Melissa. "Historically Black Colleges Land $124 Million Donation to Boost Enrollment, Graduation Rates". WSJ. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
- ^ Kroll, Luisa. "Billionaires Sergey Brin, David Tepper Join Steve Ballmer, Stanley Druckenmiller In $850 Million Philanthropic Bet To Help Nation's Kids". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
- ^ Sullivan, Paul (2017-10-13). "The Link Uniting Donors and Doers for Social Change". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-03-17.