Zuckerberg hires former US Deputy Secretary of Education for educational philanthropic initiative

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has hired former US Deputy Secretary of Education, James Shelton III to head the multi-billion dollar education philanthropy organisation, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Founded last year, the foundation aims to give 99% of Zuckerberg’s Facebook stock, valued at around $45bn, to a variety of educational causes. Shelton previously worked as a program director at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and as a partner at the NewSchools Venture Fund, both of which have donated and invested heavily in education technology, among other public schooling causes.

Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Facebook, and Dr. Priscilla Chan, a pediatrician who is his wife, said Wednesday that they had hired James H. Shelton III, a former deputy secretary of the United States Department of Education, to oversee their efforts in education, in the latest example of former federal officials who are taking up jobs in Silicon Valley.

Mr. Shelton will lead the education component of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, which Mr. Zuckerberg and Dr. Chan announced they were creating last year for their philanthropic and social entrepreneurship endeavors. The education work is focused on customizing learning for students and addressing disparities.

“When you think about philanthropy, the question is, ‘How can you be catalytic?’” Mr. Shelton said in a phone interview. “It’s a huge opportunity for transformational work.”

Mr. Shelton’s hiring is part of a stream of Washington officials going to work for tech titans. Among them are Jay Carney, a former White House press secretary, who is now senior vice president for corporate affairs at Amazon, and David Plouffe, a former senior adviser to President Obama who is chief adviser and a board member at Uber.