Van Jones

Van Jones
Jones in 2016
Born
Anthony Kapel Jones

(1968-09-20) September 20, 1968 (age 56)
Jackson, Tennessee, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Tennessee at Martin (BS)
Yale University (JD)
Occupations
  • News commentator
  • author
  • lawyer
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Jana Carter
​
​
(m. 2005; div. 2019)​
WebsiteOfficial website

Anthony Kapel "Van" Jones (born September 20, 1968) is an American political analyst, media personality, lawyer, author, and civil rights advocate.[1] He is a three-time New York Times bestselling author, a CNN host and contributor, and an Emmy Award winner.

Jones served as President Barack Obama's Special Advisor for Green Jobs in 2009[2] and a distinguished visiting fellow at Princeton University.[3] He founded or co-founded several non-profit organizations, including the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Color of Change, and the Dream Corps. The Dream Corps is a social justice accelerator that operates three advocacy initiatives: Dream Corps Justice, Dream Corps Tech and Green for All.

Jones has hosted or co-hosted CNN shows including Crossfire, The Messy Truth, The Van Jones Show and The Redemption Project with Van Jones. He is the author of The Green Collar Economy. He is the co-founder of Magic Labs Media LLC, a producer of the WEBBY Award-winning Messy Truth digital series and Emmy Award-winning The Messy Truth VR Experience with Van Jones.[4] He is a regular CNN political commentator.

Jones was formerly CEO of the REFORM Alliance, an initiative founded by Jay-Z and Meek Mill to transform the criminal justice system.[5] He was also a longtime colleague of, and advisor to, musician Prince.[6]

  1. ^ Bernstein, Jacob (November 18, 2016). "How Van Jones Became a Star of the 2016 Campaign". The New York Times. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  2. ^ Lee, Jesse (March 10, 2009). "Van Jones to CEQ". whitehouse.gov – via National Archives.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Princeton was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Van Jones". IMDB.
  5. ^ "Jay-Z and Meek Mill's Reform Alliance Makes Key Hires (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. October 8, 2020.
  6. ^ Karp, Hannah (February 12, 2017). "Lawyers Battle for Control of Late Pop Star Prince's Estate". Wall Street Journal.