Jim Kessler

Jim Kessler is the Senior Vice President for Policy and a co-founder of Third Way. He brings a wealth of knowledge and insight on economic and social issues across the policy spectrum. A longtime veteran on Capitol Hill and in campaigns, he served as Legislative and Policy Director to Representative/Senator Charles Schumer where he helped pass landmark legislation on crime, gun safety, and domestic violence. From 2001 to 2004 he served as Director of Policy and Research for Americans for Gun Safety. He has appeared frequently as a commentator on television, radio, on the web, and in newspapers—including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, 60 Minutes, MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews, The Financial Times, Congressional Quarterly, National Journal, ABC World News Tonight, The CBS Evening News, NPR’s Morning Edition, Bloomberg and Marketplace Radio. A prolific writer, his columns have appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times, POLITICO, Roll Call and DEMOCRACY: A Journal of Ideas.
Mr. Kessler earned his Master’s degree in Public Policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science at Boston University.