James White is the senior program manager for Ascend’s leadership initiatives, where he plays a central role in program design, technical assistance for Fellows’ action plans, and alumni activation for the Ascend Fellowship. He’s led Ascend’s learning and action communities on fatherhood and child well-being and served as a lead author in the resulting publications from those bodies of work.
Prior to joining Ascend in 2018, James supported a portfolio of programming dedicated to elevating youth voice within the Aspen Institute and beyond and led the team’s strategic communications efforts. Before joining the Institute, James worked as a public relations intern at Time Inc., where he supported brand communications efforts across a portfolio of brands including TIME, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated.
A native New Orleanian, James holds a B.S. in communication with concentrations in persuasion and social influence and media studies from Cornell University and works remotely from Sacramento, California.