Jedd Medefind

Jedd Medefind
Special Assistant to the President and Acting Director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives

Jedd Medefind serves as Special Assistant to the President and Acting Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.

In this role, Medefind leads the White House Office and its partner Centers in eleven major Federal agencies to strengthen the work of frontline nonprofits and social entrepreneurs and ensure their role as central partners in any Federal effort that addresses human needs — from addiction, homelessness, prisoner reentry and at-risk youth to global HIV/AIDS and malaria.

Prior to his current role, Medefind served as Deputy Director of the Faith-Based and Community Initiative (FBCI), managing the White House Office team and implementing Presidential priorities across the Federal government. He also served as Director of the FBCI Center at the U.S. Department of Labor, where he led efforts to expand the work of faith-based and other community groups in cutting crime and prisoner recidivism, boosting welfare-to-work efforts and helping individuals overcome poverty through successful employment.

Previously, Medefind filled a range of posts in the California State Legislature, including Communications Director and Chief of Staff in the State Senate and State Assembly. He also helped create and lead the California Community Renewal Project, which provides resources and training to organizations that serve the state’s most challenged communities.

Medefind has worked, studied and served in more than thirty countries, including projects in Guatemala, Bangladesh, the Kingdom of Lesotho and a number of other countries. He also worked for Price-Waterhouse Russia in Moscow.

The book Four Souls, which he wrote with three close friends, explores questions of faith, poverty and community amid a journey around the globe. His most recent book, The Revolutionary Communicator, examines the grace and greatness of Jesus’ approach to communication and leadership.

Jedd and his wife Rachel and their two daughters live in Washington, D.C.