Stanford Social Innovation Review Welcomes Nicholas Jackson as Editor-in-Chief and Publisher

Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR) is pleased to announce the appointment of Nicholas Jackson as our next editor-in-chief and publisher. Nick brings more than 15 years of experience in editor-in-chief and director-level positions for leading publications and media startups. He is a National Magazine Award-winning editor whose extensive background includes roles with Outside, Pacific Standard, and The Atlantic.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to be joining this distinguished publication and am looking forward to learning from and collaborating with the remarkable SSIR team,” said Jackson. “I’m inspired by the field-leading work SSIR has ushered into the world over the past 20 years; even more so, I’m energized and motivated by the tremendous potential ahead and the opportunities that await to grow both our reach and our impact. The need for SSIR’s mission and unique suite of offerings has never been greater, and I feel an obligation to deliver incredible value and support to our audience and the wider community so that they can be most effective in their own work.”

Jackson comes to SSIR most recently from Built In, an online community for startups and tech companies, where Jackson served as senior director, editorial, and managed a team responsible for high-quality news coverage on AI, data science, and other dynamic subjects across a dozen markets. Previously, Jackson served as editor-in-chief of Pacific Standard, an award-winning nonprofit publication dedicated to covering social and environmental justice issues through rigorous reporting, narrative journalism, and peer-reviewed research.

As owner and principal of Fifth Gate Media, Jackson has provided consulting on editorial, digital growth, and content strategy to clients across academia and the private sector, including Blue Titan Ventures, the Illinois Math + Science Academy, and MIT’s Knight Science Journalism (KSJ) Program, for whom Jackson co-edited the KSJ Science Editing Handbook. Jackson previously served in editorial roles with Outside, The Atlantic, and Atlas Obscura, and has been a contributing writer for publications such as Slate and Texas Monthly. Jackson joins SSIR as its longtime editor-in-chief, Eric Nee, will retire in January 2024 after helping to lead the Stanford Social Innovation Review since 2006.

“We are delighted to welcome Nick Jackson as the new editor-in-chief and publisher of the Stanford Social Innovation Review,” said Priya Shanker, executive director of the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, the publisher of SSIR. “With his deep background in key subject areas—from social science, technology, and entrepreneurship to environmental and social justice—and his expertise in editorial strategy, digital growth, audience development, and more, Nick is well-positioned to help lead SSIR into its next chapter as one of the world’s preeminent publications covering cross-sector solutions to the most pressing global problems.”