Jim Shelton is CEO of Blue Meridian Partners and a member of its Board of Directors. He leads the organization’s work to connect investors and visionary leaders to scale solutions that expand economic and social mobility and help break the cycle of poverty in America.

Before becoming CEO in 2025, Jim served as President and Chief Investment and Impact Officer, driving efforts to grow the impact, reach and influence of proven cradle-to-career strategies and exploring new roles for for-profits, policy, and advocacy in advancing mobility.

Jim’s career spans entrepreneurship, investing, philanthropy, and public service at the intersection of innovation and addressing longstanding social challenges. He served as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, the founding head of My Brother’s Keeper, and held executive roles at 2U, Inc. and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. He also started his career in software development, has led companies from startup to exit, and launched Amandla Enterprises, an impact investment and advisory firm.

He sits on multiple nonprofit and for-profit boards and is a Senior Social Impact Advisor to KKR. Jim holds a Computer Science degree from Morehouse College and Masters degrees in both Business and Education from Stanford University.