James A Pickup

Jim Pickup is President and CEO of the Middle East Investment Initiative (MEII) and General Counsel of the Aspen Institute. He is also a founding partner of Impact Capital Strategies, a consulting firm focused on impact investing. Building on the conviction that a sound economic base is one clear path to social and political stability, MEII, a nonprofit corporation, leverages public and private resources to deliver sustainable financial solutions to foster long-term economic development in the Middle East and North Africa. At the Aspen Institute, Jim serves as the organization's primary attorney. He is also a member of the Aspen Institute's Middle East Strategy Group and was an Aspen Institute Henry Crown Fellow. From 1997-2013, Jim was a partner and associated at DLA Piper, an international law firm, where his practice focused on federal law and policy and international development. In 2000 and 2001, Jim served as Senator George Mitchell's representative when the Senator chaired the Sharm el-Sheikh Fact-Finding Committee, an international committee established to examine the crisis between the Israelis and Palestinians and make recommendations to prevent its recurrence. He played a significant role in the committee's activities and the drafting of its report, which has become known as the Mitchell Plan. Immediately before joining DLA Piper, Jim worked for five years as a congressional aide and Budget Committee associate. Jim graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center, received a Master in International Affairs degree from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, and graduated with honors (M.A. hons.) from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland.