James White

Senior Program Manager

James White is the senior program manager for Ascend’s leadership initiatives. He plays a central role in program design, technical assistance for Fellows’ action plans, and alumni activation for the Ascend Fellowship. He led Ascend’s learning and action communities on fatherhood and child well-being and served as a lead author in the resulting recommendation reports.

Prior to joining Ascend, he supported a portfolio of programming dedicated to elevating youth voice within the Aspen Institute and beyond and led the team’s strategic communications efforts.

Previously, 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.

Stories featuring James White

Centering Child Well-Being in Child Support Policy
We know that there is a better way to approach child support policy to build strong families and communities -- and that's why we're proud to share w...
Read More
BlogAugust 22, 2023
Announcing Ascend Fellowship Impact Fund Awardees
We’ve selected four projects from the 2021 Class of Fellows that show impressive potential in both their scope and capacity to address timely issues...
Read More
Ascend FellowshipMay 25, 2023
Text over a landscape of South Africa
Discovering Ubuntu in South Africa
Tiana C. McCoy – Senior Associate, Operations and Convenings at Ascend – provides an inside look at the experience of a Fellows Forum.
Read More
BlogMay 2, 2023
An Evidence-Based Approach to Child Support
Through careful and rigorous research, we know that there is a better way to approach child support policy to build strong families and communities.
Read More
BlogJanuary 11, 2023
Making Black History and Forging Black Futures
Image caption: Ascend Fellows at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama in 2018. Pictured left to right: Ann Kalass, Darius Tandon, Kirsten Lodal,...
Read More
Ascend FellowshipFebruary 23, 2022
Rebuild Right: Leadership for an Equitable Tomorrow
The inaugural Aspen Leadership Impact Forum brought Aspen Institute Ascend Fellows and philanthropic leaders who share a commitment to courageous lead...
Read More
BlogNovember 15, 2021
Bringing Fathers Into Focus for Child & Family Well-Being
As we reimagine public systems and services to work better for families, we have an opportunity to do so in a way that honors the full diversity of fa...
Read More
BlogJune 16, 2021
Investing in Futures Means Investing in Families: Announcing the Two-Generation Prenatal to Three Learning and Action Community
The COVID-19 pandemic has made more evident than ever the need to transform policies, practice, and systems to build upon the inherent resilience of f...
Read More
BlogDecember 9, 2020
Here’s to Warriors and Weavers for Care
Ascend is honored that our Executive Director Anne Mosle has been named to the Holding Co.’s CARE 100 List, a first-of-its-kind list of the people d...
Read More
BlogOctober 23, 2020
Indigenous Peoples’ Day Is an Opportunity to Reexamine History and Reimagine Our Future
Several cities, states, and municipalities across the US now use the second Monday in October to honor and celebrate Native American history, cultures...
Read More
BlogOctober 12, 2020
Child Care is Critical to Getting the Economy Moving Again
This interview is part of the Aspen Institute’s In Focus: Equity in Education multimedia series. Parents across the nation face the impossible choic...
Read More
BlogOctober 1, 2020
Undo A System of White Supremacy: The Call for a New Social Contract
Black Lives Matter. As a collective of leaders committed to advancing two-generation strategies to end multigenerational poverty, we believe that the ...
Read More
BlogJune 29, 2020
Seeing Fathers’ Roles in Family Prosperity Clearly in 2020: Equitable Family Leave and Research for Improved Outcomes
In celebration of Father’s Day, the Lurie Children’s Family and Child Health Innovations Program (FCHIP) released the Fathering Dur...
Read More
BlogJune 26, 2020
Juneteenth Is a Day of Reflection for All Americans
This post, by Aspen Institute senior manager of digital content and communications Kristina Saccone, was originally published on the Aspen Instit...
Read More
BlogJune 19, 2020
Aspen Autumn
Statement and Call to Action: Condemn Police Violence and Structural Racism
Dear Ascend Community: Ascend is committed to the work of anti-racism. Seeing and experiencing week after week what Black people and families go throu...
Read More
BlogJune 3, 2020

Convenings Featuring James White

Charting a New Future for Early Childhood Leadership and Equity
Location: Live webcast
Please join us for a national release and strategic briefing on Toward a More Equitable Future: A Landscape Analysis of Early Childhood Leadership. This report zeroes in on the future of the early childhood field through the lenses of racial equity...
Read More
ConveningJune 15, 2022
2Gen and Fatherhood
Location: Virtual (Zoom)
Jessica Seinfeld opens a discussion between two expert and experienced men on what fatherhood looks like in a 2Gen approach, ways to include and center fathers in this work, and the social determinants acting as barriers to fatherhood amongst Black...
Read More
ConveningJune 8, 2021