Buzz About Van

Profiles

Obama's 'green-jobs' guru: from activist to environmentalist
CNN.com

Jobs czar thinks a different green
Politico

Green Streets: O Interviews Van Jones
O Magazine

Greening the Ghetto
The New Yorker

The Green Collar Solution
Thomas Friedman's column in the New York Times

Bring Eco-power to the people
Time Magazine

What People Who Know Van Say

People across the country have shown tremendous support for Van and his vision of a clean-energy future for America. Below are just a few notable examples.

John Podesta

President & CEO of the Center for American Progress

"Van Jones is an exceptional and inspired leader who has fought to bring economic and environmental justice to communities across our country...[At the White House,] Van was working to build a common-ground agenda for all Americans, and I am confident he will continue that work."

Arianna Huffington

Author/co-founder, The Huffington Post

"I've never failed to be impressed by Van. He is a remarkable man. One of the things I've always found so impressive about him is his ability to build coalition and create unlikely alliances. In pursuit of a clean-energy future for America, Van has successfully brought together urban youth with clean-tech entrepreneurs, labor leaders with business leaders, civil rights activists with environmentalists."

Carl Pope

Executive Director of the Sierra Club

"Jones is an extraordinarily important leader. He cares, passionately, about helping young men and women find their way in the world, even if they had the misfortune to grow up in bad neighborhoods or make bad choices -- and he sees in a new green economy a powerful instrument to heal their lives."

Donna Brazile

CNN Political Commentator/Political Strategist

"Let me just say that Van Jones is a very, very intelligent man. A Yale graduate, someone who came up from the public schools of Jackson, Tenn. to make something of himself. People have a deep and abiding respect for his expertise for on the environment."

Paul Schmitz

CEO of Public Allies

"I introduced Van, noting our past differences and my great admiration for his vision, passion and intelligence. I was amazed by his new vision -- green-collar jobs -- and the collaborative way he was building a movement to work with the system to make a difference for the planet and low-income people. Later that night, he shared with me his leadership journey during the 10 years since we met, how he had learned and grown. I saw his impressive charisma, intellect, and passion gain from the addition of humility, wisdom, and collaborative orientation."

Howard Dean

Former Governor of Vermont, Presidential Candidate and Chair of the Democratic National Committee

"This guy is a Yale-educated lawyer, he is a best-selling authority about his specialty."

Robert Borosage

President of Institute for America's Future

"Van is a gifted leader of ideas and of action. He makes connections, thinks beyond the box, and inspires others to join…He inspired people across the country with the insight that the transition to a sustainable economy could be the greatest jobs program since the mobilization for World War II – and that we could insure that those who were left out of the old economy could be central to the green jobs of the new economy."

Gillian Caldwell

Campaign Director, 1Sky

"[Van is] in fact a Yale-educated attorney, best-selling author, and one of the most strategic minds in contemporary politics…he has been fighting for a lifetime to try and improve the world around him -- most recently by pushing for green jobs and pathways out of poverty for millions of people around this country of ours."

Ben Jealous

President of the NAACP

"Van Jones has established himself through his many years in public service as a hardworking advocate for positive, progressive change."

Justin Ruben

Executive Director of Moveon.org

"Van Jones has worked tirelessly to bring jobs and environmental progress to some of the poorest communities in our nation. His dedication and leadership are exactly what we need more of in Washington."

Jerald Ogg

Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Tennessee, Martin

"We didn't agree, a lot of times on things, we still don't agree on things sometimes. I think I've helped him understand a different perspective, he's certainly helped me understand a different perspective. He'll find something in your background, something that you've answered, that he can connect with...He really truly wants to make a difference; he is committed to leaving this world a better place."

Jessy Tolkan

Executive Director of the Energy Action Coalition

"Van Jones is not a leader in our movement in the past tense. He is still a leader and an inspiring figure and we have no doubt that he is just getting started in terms of the leadership he will provide in this movement."

Jeff Chang

Author/Activist

"At the Ella Baker Center For Human Rights, he and the brilliant organizers there helped develop the model project in Oakland that linked green job training to unemployed inner city youths…Van was building national networks and a bipartisan, multiracial consensus."