Van Jones Biography
Van Jones is an American Emmy Award-winning host/contributor/political commentator/author working for CNN News where he serves as a news political commentator. He joined the network in June 2013 as a co-host.
Van Jones Age
Jones who originally was born Anthony Kapel Jones is 54 years old as of 2022. He was born on September 20, 1968, in Jackson, Tennessee, United States.
Van Jones Height
Jones stands at an approximate height of 6 feet 1 inch.
Van Jones Family
Jones was born to his loving parent Willie Anthony Jones a middle school principal and Loretta Jean (née Kirkendoll) a high school teacher. He and his twin sister were born in Jackson, Tennessee, on September 20, 1968. His grandfather was a leader in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, and Jones sometimes accompanied him to religious conferences. He would sit all day listening to the adults “in these hot, sweaty black churches.”
Jones was born after the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy. He later to the heroic figures became a devotee while he learned about the men’s work. Jones would pin photographs to a bulletin board of the Kennedy brothers in his room in the specially delineated “Kennedy Section.”
Van Jone’s Wife
Jones got married to his beautiful wife Jana Carter in 2005 and is blessed with two children Mattai and Cabral. Unfortunately, in 2019 filed for divorce and later that year had to part ways.
Van Jones Net Worth
Jones has an estimated net worth of between $1 Million-$5 Million which he has earned through his successful career as a political commentator.
Van Jones Salary
Jones earns an annual salary ranging from $ 45,000 – $ 110,500.
Van Jones Education
Jones went to Jackson Central-Merry High School and later graduated in 1986 from the public high school. He later went to Tennessee University at Martin (UT Martin) where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in political science and communication. Aside from him being a student, he also tenured as an intern at the Associated Press (Nashville bureau), The Jackson Sun (Tennessee), and the Shreveport Times (Louisiana).
It was during this time that he got his nickname “Van” at the age of 17 and was also tenured at The Jackson Sun. Jones also led several independents and helped in launching campus-based publications which included the Third Eye (Nashville’s African-American community), the Fourteenth Circle (University of Tennessee), the New Alliance Project (statewide in Tennessee), and the Periscope (Vanderbilt University). He was later prepared for a larger life credited the UT Martin.
Van Jones Career
Jones is an American award-winning journalist working for CNN News where he serves as a political commentator. He regularly appears across the network’s special political coverages and programming.
Later in 2014, Jones launched his two brand new initiatives including #cut50 to cut the prison population in 10 years into halves a bipartisan communications campaign. He popularized alternatives to incarceration, forged unlikely alliances, and turned the economic catastrophe and the moral of mass incarceration into a mainstream, voting issue. #YesWeCode is a national initiative of DreamCorps Unlimited that aims to train 100,000 low-opportunity youth to become high-level computer programmers.
Jones has led and founded four other not-for-profit organizations engaged in environmental and social justice including, the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights Rebuild the Dream, which promotes innovative policy solutions for the U.S. economy; which focuses on economic empowerment and skills training in California; Green for All, dedicated to jobs training in the green sector with the goal to help lift people out of poverty; Color of Change, that offers training and guidance on issues related to racial equality and fairness on behalf of communities of color. He also is a senior fellow with the Center for American Progress and focuses on policy matters related to green jobs and how cities are implementing job-creating climate solutions.
Jones is the author and attorney of two New York Times best-selling books, Rebuild the Dream (2012) and The Green Collar Economy (2008). The books entail his journey as a human rights activist and an environmental to becoming an advisor for White House policy. He also worked for Green Jobs Act as the main advocate. Jones also signed into law in 2007, by George W. Bush the Green Jobs Act to codify the term “green jobs” as the first piece of federal legislation .” It was during the Administration of former president Barack Obama, that the legislation for green job training resulted in $500 million in national funding.
Later in 2009, Jones worked for President Barack Obama as the green jobs advisor. There he helped in leading the inter-agency process that oversaw the multi-billion dollar investment within the environmental and green energy sectors in skills training and jobs development.
Jones has several awards that have been accorded to him with numerous awards and also became more notable on several lists of high achievers including Rolling Stone’s 2012 “12 Leaders Who Get Things Done”; the World Economic Forum’s “Young Global Leader” designation; the Root’s 2013 “The Root 100,” and TIME’s 2009 “100 Most Influential People in The World”.
Van Jones CNN News
Jones is working at CNN News where he works alongside other famous CNN News meteorologists, anchors, and reporters including;
- Susan Hendricks
- Erica Hill
- Michael Holmes
- Pedram Javaheri
- Brianna Keilar
- Lynda Kinkade
- John King
- Melissa Knowles
- Alison Kosik
- Don Lemon
- Christina Macfarlane
- Robin Meade
- Veronica Miracle
- Abby Phillip
- Richard Quest
Van Jones Social Media Platforms
He is active on his social media accounts and is often seen posting on his Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. He has over 1M followers on Instagram, over 1M followers on Facebook, and over 988.7K followers on his Twitter accounts.