James “Jim” Shelton is the former Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer of the U.S. Department of Education. He manages over 4,700 professionals and a $69 billion annual budget and oversees a range of management, policy, and program functions including Federal Student Aid and its $150 billion in annual student lending. Under his leadership, the agency has improved its operational performance and increased employee satisfaction while managing through the government shutdown and an 8% reduction in force.

Shelton is also a leader in public and social sector innovation; serves as the Executive Director of the President’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative; and has served on and led multiple interagency initiatives focused on stimulating economic development, entrepreneurship, and increased opportunity including the National Science and Technology Council. From these roles, he successfully launched efforts that together have garnered billions of dollars in public and private commitments including Digital Promise and ConnectED - President Obama’s signature initiatives to provide broadband connectivity and learning technology enhanced education and training to Americans.

Previously, Shelton was the head of the Department of Education’s Office of Innovation and Improvement, managing a portfolio that included most of the Department's competitive grant programs. In this capacity, he implemented new approaches to increasing impact evident in numerous programs and policies including the Investing in Innovation Fund (i3), Promise Neighborhoods, the High Quality Charter School Replication Program and others focused on teacher and leader quality, school choice, and learning technology.

Shelton began his career in the energy sector developing computer systems. He later spent several years with McKinsey & Company advising CEOs and other executives on issues related to deregulation, strategy, growth, mergers and acquisitions, and organizational effectiveness. With significant clients in telecommunications and transportation, Shelton specialized in enabling his clients to win in rapidly changing markets. He left McKinsey as an Associate Partner to help build Knowledge Universe, Inc., where he launched, acquired, and operated a range of product and service businesses until he co-founded and operated LearnNow, Inc., which in three years grew to almost $50 million in revenues and was acquired by the industry leader.

Shelton was also a partner at NewSchools Venture Fund and then the program director for education at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he managed a $2-3 billion portfolio of non-profit investments targeting increased high school and college graduation rates including some producing “breakthrough” results (e.g. Small Schools of Choice ). He has chaired numerous non-profit boards and led domestic and international social sector initiatives ranging from economic development to voter education in emerging democracies.

Shelton holds a bachelor's degree in computer science from Morehouse College as well as master’s degrees in business administration and education from Stanford GSB and GSE.

He currently resides in his hometown, Washington, D.C., with his wife Sonia and their two sons.