THE HONORABLE JAMES H. SHELTON III Assistant Deputy Secretary, Innovation & Improvement U.S. Department of Education

Jim is the Assistant Deputy Secretary responsible for Innovation, managing a portfolio that includes most of the Department’s competitive teacher quality, school choice and learning technology programs. Previously, he served as a program director for the education division of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, managing the foundation’s national programs and work in the northeast region. Immediately prior, Mr. Shelton was a partner and the East Coast lead for NewSchools Venture Fund. Before joining NewSchools, Mr. Shelton also co-founded LearnNow, a school management company that later was acquired by Edison Schools. He spent over four years as a senior management consultant with McKinsey & Company. During that time, he advised CEOs and other executives on issues related to corporate strategy, business development, organizational design, and operational effectiveness. Upon leaving McKinsey, he joined Knowledge Universe, Inc., where he launched, acquired, and operated education-related businesses. Mr. Shelton holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Atlanta’s Morehouse College, as well as master’s degrees in business administration and education from Stanford University.