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.
Favorite Part of my Role
I most enjoy opportunities to build and be in community with families and leaders who experience the systems we work on firsthand. It’s both grounding and reaffirming to spend time with the people behind the systems that families with low incomes experience.