Jimmie Briggs

Jimmie Briggs is a distinguished advocate, journalist, and educator dedicated to highlighting issues of social justice, human rights, and global conflict. In 2020, he joined the Skoll Foundation, a private organization that makes grants and investments intended to reduce global poverty and support social entrepreneurs and other innovators driving sustainable solutions to pressing global problems.

Briggs' keen interest in storytelling and social issues led him to pursue a degree in journalism from Morehouse College. His early career saw him working with notable publications such as The Washington Post and LIFE Magazine, where he reported on critical issues ranging from domestic violence to child soldiers in conflict zones. He has since written for scores of publications. Briggs has received several awards including the GQ Magazine “Better Men Better World” award and the Women’s eNews "21 Leaders for the 21st Century" award. He holds a Medal of Distinction from Barnard College, is a National Magazine Award finalist and has received fellowships and other honors from the Open Society Institute, the National Association of Black Journalists, the Carter Center for Mental Health Journalism, and many others.

Previously, Briggs was the co-founder and founding executive director of Man Up Campaign, a global initiative aimed at engaging youth in the movement to end gender-based violence. He has also judged several social entrepreneurship competitions from Echoing Green to the Athena Center's Entrepreneurs in Training competition. His book "Innocents Lost: When Child Soldiers Go To War" took readers into the lives of war-affected children around the world. His next book project is an oral history of Ferguson, Missouri in the wake of Michael Brown’s death in 2014.

In addition, Briggs sits on several non-profit boards, is a member of the New York City Mayor’s Gender Equity Commission, and teaches documentary journalism at the International Center of Photography. He is a contributor to Vanity Fair magazine.