White House Chooses Nonprofit Founder to Lead ‘Green Jobs’ Effort

The nonprofit leader Van Jones has been tapped by the White House to serve as an adviser on green jobs, the Obama administration announced this week.

Mr. Jones, founder of the nonprofit group Green for All and co-founder of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, was an early leader in the push for creating jobs that could promote environmental sustainability.

He will serve as special adviser for green jobs, enterprise, and innovation within the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

“Van Jones has been a strong voice for green jobs and we look forward to having him work with departments and agencies to advance the president’s agenda of creating 21st century jobs that improve energy efficiency and utilize renewable resources,” said Nancy Sutley, chair of the White House council. “Jones will also help to shape and advance the administration’s energy and climate initiatives with a specific interest in improvements and opportunities for vulnerable communities.”

In addition to founding two charitable organizations, Mr. Jones is also the author of The Green Collar Economy.

(Click here to read a 1999 Chronicle article about Mr. Jones’s emergence as a leader for improving communities).