A grandson of the American businessman and investor Warren Buffett, he is an adjunct professor in public policy and international affairs at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs[1] and was previously the executive director of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, a private philanthropic foundation that funds initiatives aimed at improving the standard of living and quality of life for the world’s most impoverished and marginalized populations.

Prior to joining the White House, Buffett served as a special assistant at the U.S. Department of Agriculture,[4] as a member of the Office of the President-Elect,[5] and as director of National Surrogate Radio for Obama for America.

He completed his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Communication Studies in 2006 at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois,[7] where he also served as the student body vice president.

Additionally, he was charged with identifying strategic external partnerships aimed at advancing the core mission areas of research, education, and economics.

He also served on the five-year Strategic Planning Initiative, and represented the department in the White House Innovation and Information Policy Working Group.

[10] Upon completion of his service at the Department of Agriculture, Buffett served as a policy advisor in the Executive Office of the President of the United States at the White House, where he was responsible for the Cross-Sector Partnerships portfolio.

[14] Published by Columbia University Press, the book details specific case studies and examples on topics including clean energy, water scarcity and sustainable agriculture.

He has referred to Learning by Giving as the first step in the implementation of the Social Value Investment model, "By simply empowering students to become problem solvers in their own communities, we maximize the impact of our efforts, encourage innovation, and inspire life-long engagements with philanthropy.

Buffett taught the course with program head William Eimicke, and is currently an adjunct associate professor and research scholar at the school, teaching philanthropy, social value investing, and management innovation.