BIOS

JAMAL SIMMONS has been at the nexus of politics and media for three decades. He is currently a Political Commentator on CNN and immediately before that Deputy Assistant to the President and Communications Director to the Vice President at the White House. 

Before the White House, Jamal was a political contributor for CBS News and NPR. Prior to CBS, he hosted digital interviews for Hill TV with political leaders and celebrities, including then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. 

Jamal joined Hill TV from the Raben Group, where he advised corporate, political and foundation leaders for nearly a decade. While there, he also co-chaired the Internet Innovation Alliance and co-founded CRVIII (CRATE) a digital media start-up.

In 2008, Jamal was a prominent Obama campaign surrogate and senior advisor to the Democratic National Committee. Before that, he was senior media staff for two presidential primary campaigns, a U.S. senate race, and Al Gore’s 2000 presidential campaign. He also served as a Gore spokesman in W. Palm Beach during the epic Florida recount. Prior to that, Jamal was chief of staff to a U.S. House Appropriations Committee member. 

Jamal got his start on Bill Clinton’s 1992 traveling campaign staff and set up events around the world for the Clinton White House. He was also an assistant to U.S. Trade Representative and Commerce Secretary Mickey Kantor. In those roles, he represented the U.S. government in 15 countries.

Jamal has written opinion pieces for several publications, including Democracy: A Journal of Ideas, Politico, and The New York Times. 

A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Jamal was also a 2009 French American Foundation Young Leader. He is an honorary member of the Rosa Parks Scholarship Foundation Board and was previously on the PepsiCo African American Community Advisory Committee. He holds a B.A. from Morehouse College, where he received the Presidential Award of Distinction, and a MPP degree from Harvard University’s Kennedy School.