James H. Shelton III
Assistant Deputy Secretary, Innovation and Improvement
U.S. Department of Education
Panelist, General Session: Transformation in Action−Innovation Throwdown
Wednesday, June 8
9:00 - 10:30 am
Jim Shelton was appointed Assistant Deputy Secretary to run the Office of Innovation and Improvement at the US Department of Education in April of 2009. Immediately prior to joining ED, Jim was a Program Director for Education at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation where, over 5.5 years, he oversaw education programs including Next Generation Models, School Replication, College Access and Scholarships, and numerous State and District partnerships.
Jim began his career developing computer systems and later became a senior consultant to CEOs and other for-profit and non-profit leaders while working for McKinsey & Company. He transitioned into education full-time as a private equity investor, which led him to co-found and lead a company with the mission of opening and running high quality schools in high need communities. After selling the company Jim worked with Joel Klein, Chancellor of New York City Schools, leading the planning for his reform strategy - Children First – followed by launching the east coast office of NewSchools Venture Fund, a non-profit venture fund focused on education. Throughout his life and career, Jim has been an active volunteer as a tutor, counselor, service center manager, and board member. He has a B.A. in Computer Science from Morehouse College and a Masters in Education and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.
