Van Jones

Van Jones is a globally recognized, award-winning pioneer in human rights and the clean energy economy. He is the best-selling author of the definitive book on green jobs, The Green-Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Solve Our Two Biggest Problems, which has been endorsed by Al Gore, Nancy Pelosi and Tom Daschle. Most recently, Jones served as the Special Adviser for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation for the White House Council on Environmental Quality until September 2009.

The founder of three successful nonprofit organizations, the Elias Baker Center for Human Rights, Color of Change and Green For All, Jones is a constant innovator in the quest to create a sustainable, environmentally beneficial economy. He co-founded a national coalition that promotes the idea of a national "Clean Energy Jobs Corps" in 2008. This multi-billion dollar federal initiative would put hundreds of thousands of people to work rewiring and retrofitting the energy infrastructure of the United States. Green For All has also partnered with Al Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection to form the Green For All Academy. The Academy trains US grassroots leaders to effectively advocate for an inclusive, green economy. At the political level, Jones worked successfully to get the Green Jobs Act of 2007 passed, which authorized $125 million to train 35,000 people a year in "green-collar jobs."

One of Time's "100 Most Influential People" in 2009, Jones has been uniquely recognized for his efforts to improve the world. Among his many honors, he has also been named 2008's "Environmental Hero" by Time, and one of the most influential/inspiring African Americans of 2008 by Essence. Earlier in his career, Jones was awarded the 1998 Reebok International Human Rights Award; the International Ashoka Fellowship; the Rockefeller Foundation "Next Generation Leadership" Fellowship; and was selected as a World Economic Forum "Young Global Leader."

Jones' efforts in the environmental and human rights arenas have received national media attention. This past year, he has appeared on Feature #1, Your World With Neil Cavuto, The Colbert Report, and NPR's "Living On Earth." Jones has also been featured in Good Magazine, Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, and many online blogs.

A 1993 Yale Law graduate, he is a tireless advocate for the planet and its people, committed to creating a robust green economy and greatly expanding the coalition fighting global warming.