A graduate of a small rural public high school and a community college, Jack "Alex" White III is the first person in his mountain valley community to enroll at Harvard as an undergraduate (and FGLI student). As such, Alex has worked to be a special advocate of rural areas—a path that has led him to public office (as Virginia's youngest government official at the time of his appointment).
Additionally, Alex founded the Rural Leadership Initiative, an award-winning 501(c)3 nonprofit advocating for rural students and new curricula exploring America's geographic divides. He has been supported in that effort by an executive board that includes a former governor, Harvard professors, lifelong educators, business leaders, and a current New York Federal Reserve VP.
Alex has been the lucky recipient of numerous honors, such as authoring his own regular news column on rural issues, working as a White House Intern, being recognized as a United Nations Millennium Fellow, and serving as President for Harvard Undergraduates for Bipartisan Solutions and Harvard's club golf team—as well as Chief of Staff for IOP Fellow Governor Steve Bullock.
Alex strives to make a positive impact, which he has been able to do as assistant manager for Page One Food Pantry, part of several campaigns, and author of legislation supported by the ACLU.
Alex serves on the national Steering Committee of the Appalachian Studies Association (ASA), Co-Chair of the Young Appalachian Leaders and Learners (Y'ALL) program, and on the Mindich Center for Engaged Scholarship's Student Advisory Committee. He was recently appointed to a seat on the Commonwealth of Virginia's gubernatorial Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice.
His work has won Radcliffe grants and a fellowship facilitated by Harvard's Safra Center for Ethics.