Mr James M. Jones is executive director of the ExxonMobil Foundation. In this capacity, he oversees the foundation’s major grant-making programs in global health (specifically in the fight against malaria), women’s economic opportunities, and US math and science education. Previously, he directed ExxonMobil’s global brand, advertising, and integrated communications work.

Prior to his work in the private sector, Mr Jones was the founding executive vice president at the Vaccine Fund (now the GAVI Vaccine Alliance). He also was vice president of programs and policy at the Children’s Defense Fund where he oversaw the organization’s work on education, juvenile justice, child welfare and health. For a dozen years, he served in various capacities in the US Congress, including director of communications and policy to then-Senator John F. Kerry, for whom he drafted global health legislation, including the original federal spending authorizations for many product development partnerships. Mr Jones is a graduate of Georgetown University and Oxford University; he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study international economics at the University of Munich.