caption birth_place name birth_date alt spouse known_for image article_title education birth_name
jones advisor for green jobs -lrb- 2009 -rrb- as the council on environmental quality 's special jackson , tennessee , u.s. van jones 20 september 1968 portrait of a wood paneled wall . he has a bald photo head , glasses and a mustache , and is wearing of a gray suit , blue shirt and red tie . an african-american man seated in front jana carter former '' 100 most influential people 2009 '' new york times special '' bestselling author advisor for green jobs 2009 '' time vanjonesadvisorforgreenjobs.png van jones
 university -lrb- j.d. -rrb- of tennessee -lrb- b.s. -rrb- yale law school anthony kapel jones
van jones

anthony kapel `` van '' jones -lrb- born september 20 , 1968 -rrb- is an american environmental advocate , civil rights activist , and attorney .
he is a co-founder of four non-profit organizations including rebuild the dream , of which he is president .
in 1996 , he founded the ella baker center for human rights , a california non-governmental organization -lrb- ngo -rrb- working for alternatives to violence .
in 2005 , he co-founded color of change , an advocacy group for african americans .
in 2007 , he founded green for all , a national ngo dedicated to `` building an inclusive green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty . ''
in 2011 , he founded rebuild the dream , a national advocacy organization working towards a fairer economy .
his first book , `` the green collar economy '' , was released on october 7 , 2008 .
it won the nautilus book award and reached number 12 on the `` new york times '' best seller list .
in 2008 , `` time '' magazine named jones one of its `` heroes of the environment '' .
`` fast company '' called him one of the `` 12 most creative minds of 2008 '' .
in march 2009 , jones was appointed by president barack obama to the newly created position of special advisor for green jobs , enterprise and innovation at the white house council on environmental quality , where he worked with various `` agencies and departments to advance the administration 's climate and energy initiatives , with a special focus on improving vulnerable communities . ''
in july 2009 he became embroiled in a controversy over his past political activities , including a public comment disparaging congressional republicans , his name appearing on a petition for 911truth .
org , and one-time involvement with a socialist collective during the 1990s .
for these issues , van jones was heavily criticized by conservatives .
jones resigned from the position in early september 2009 .
`` on the eve of historic fights for health care and clean energy , opponents of reform have mounted a vicious smear campaign against me , '' jones said in his resignation statement .
`` they are using lies and distortions to distract and divide . ''
jones is currently a senior fellow at the center for american progress and a senior policy advisor at green for all .
jones also holds a joint appointment at princeton university , as a distinguished visiting fellow in both the center for african american studies and in the program in science , technology and environmental policy at the woodrow wilson school of public and international affairs .
