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From Education Advocate to Presidential Candidate: Meet Jason Palmer, Champion of Allyship to Achieve Equity and Opportunity
Allyship is defined by the active and consistent support of individuals who leverage their social capital to create opportunities for others. Allies play a crucial role in advocating for and amplifying the voices of those who may lack access to influential networks. We conclude January with an exemplar ally who serves as role models for effective allyship.
Jason Palmer is a dedicated leader and ally in education and workforce innovation, whose journey continues to inspire positive change. He has founded multiple companies and served on boards of successful businesses, focusing on improving education and workforce outcomes.
What is Your Personal and Professional Story?
My personal and professional journey has been deeply intertwined with a commitment to improving education and workforce outcomes. I was born on December 1, 1971, into an education family (my dad was a teacher who became a K12 school leader) and my career spans 30 years in entrepreneurial and leadership roles across various organizations like Microsoft, Kaplan Education, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and New Markets Venture Partners, where I focused on double-bottom-line investments in educational and labor force technology companies.
Throughout my career, I've served on the Board of Directors for more than a dozen successful businesses, some of which were acquired by publicly traded companies. My role as Deputy Director at the Gates Foundation, where I led postsecondary innovation to support disadvantaged college students, was a pivotal moment that deepened my resolve to improve education.
I've also founded and led several technology and services companies, demonstrating my entrepreneurial spirit and ability to manage large, diverse teams. My educational background includes a B.A. from the University of Virginia and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Over the past decade, especially since my time at the Gates Foundation, I've felt a growing urgency to engage in public service, fueled by the systemic challenges facing young people and the dysfunction in Congress. My presidential campaign was a response to these challenges, offering an optimistic vision focused on 21st-century skills, apprenticeships, and modernizing our education-to-workforce system.
I won the American Samoa primary and became the first presidential candidate in 44 years to beat an incumbent President (Joe Biden) because I hired local allies who knew the territory and took the time to develop real policy positions to advance the lives of the marginalized populations of American Samoa.
My mission is to unite problem-solvers and revitalize the American dream by investing in our young people and transforming our approach to governance.
Why is being an ally a core value, and how have you been an ally?
My understanding of allyship began during my first year at the University of Virginia in 1990. My roommate, Rich, came out to me as gay—the first time he had told anyone beyond his therapist. At the time, being openly gay in rural Virginia carried significant risks. Rich was deeply afraid, but I supported him as he shared his story with our dormmates. While some friends were accepting, there was also backlash; anti-gay flyers appeared around the dorm. I removed the flyers before Rich could see them, though in hindsight, I learned he would have preferred they stayed up as an acknowledgment of the challenges he faced.
This experience taught me that allyship is about listening, learning, and standing alongside others, even when the path is uncomfortable or unclear. Since then, I’ve sought to be an ally in both visible and quieter ways.
At a previous employer, I worked to address pay inequities, advocating for junior women on my team who were being paid less than equally qualified men. These efforts may have contributed to a broader organizational shift toward pay equity.
In my investing career, I’ve consciously supported women and people of color. Over the past 15 years, nearly half of the founders and CEOs I’ve invested in have been women—far above industry averages. Similarly, 40% of the venture funds I’ve backed have diverse leadership teams.
My time at the Gates Foundation further reinforced the importance of allyship. Between 2013 and 2016, I focused on supporting entrepreneurs dedicated to underserved communities. More recently, my work at New Markets Venture Partners has included co-founding Impact Capital Managers, a coalition of investors managing over $50 billion to drive impact and representation in the industry.
What suggestions do you have for men who want to be better allies?
Start by identifying the largest sources of bias in your industry and consider both systemic and personal ways to address them. Allyship often begins with asking hard questions, listening to marginalized voices, and using your influence to advocate for change.
For me, this has meant embracing conscious capitalism and impact investing while working to close funding and pay gaps for women and underrepresented minorities. Small actions, such as ensuring equity in hiring, pay, and investment decisions, can lead to larger systemic change over time.
What is the highest goal you have as an ally leader and role model?
My ultimate goal is to democratize education, early career opportunities, and economic mobility—regardless of sex, ethnicity, or geographic background. This mission has driven my work for the past 25 years and continues to inspire me to push for inclusive systems and solutions.
How can GlobalMindED help you achieve your goals as an ally and overall as an inclusive leader?
GlobalMindED is a great organization that connects students with internships, apprenticeships, experiences, and job opportunities, especially needed by people in their twenties and thirties to find their most impactful pathway and career. Carol is a phenomenal leader who understands transformative change. For decades, she has been strengthening communities across the nation and beyond, driving meaningful impact through her visionary leadership.
Read the stories of the Allies we have featured in Janurary.
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