As the Director of IREX’s Strategic Partnerships Unit, Sean Jones leads the organization’s efforts to build private sector partnerships that help drive impact, catalyze innovation, and foster more sustainable development solutions. Sean works closely with foundations, corporations, civil society organizations, and other key IREX partners worldwide.

Before joining IREX, Sean served as the director of development at the Brookings Institution’s Global Economy and Development Program, where he led international research teams focused on education, sustainable development, and development finance to record growth—including by securing the largest grant in the history of Brookings.

Prior to Brookings, Sean served as senior director, Corporate and Foundation Partnerships at World Learning, where he built a team focused on driving impact and innovation related to digital cultural exchange, diversity in study abroad, STEM education, and more through new partnerships with philanthropic foundations and corporate donors.

Sean also previously served as a consultant at LAPA Fundraising, where we worked with leading social service organizations in the New York City area on building successful institutional fundraising programs.

Sean holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and master’s degree in public policy from Baruch College; he also completed a North American Mobility Program (NAMP) fellowship at the School of Public Policy and Administration at Carleton University (Canada).