James Anderson

James Anderson leads the Bloomberg Philanthropies government innovation portfolio, focused on promoting innovation; spreading effective ideas among cities; and refining models mayors can use to solve complex problems. In this capacity he oversees a range of initiatives including the Innovation Teams (i-teams), the Mayors Challenges, the India Smart Cities Challenge, What Works Cities, Cities of Service, and CityLab.

Before joining Bloomberg Philanthropies, James served as communications director to New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. During that time, he was the chief architect of NYC Service, the City’s high impact citizen service strategy, and Cities of Service, a bipartisan coalition that now includes over 160 mayors representing more than 55 million Americans. Previously, he served as senior advisor to the commissioner of the City’s homeless services agency, and as communications director for the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, a national advocacy organization.

James grew up in Montana. He and his husband live in Brooklyn, New York. Follow James on twitter @jmsndrsn