As an investor, contributor and member of OZY’s Board of Directors, Laurene Powell Jobs has played a significant role in bringing OZY to life. Laurene is the founder and chair of Emerson Collective, an organization that supports social entrepreneurs and organizations working in the areas of education, immigration reform, social justice and conservation. In particular, she has been a tireless advocate for the Dream Act, a measure that would provide legal status for immigrants who arrived in the country as young children.
A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Laurene worked in investment banking before co-founding a natural foods company in California and later College Track, a non-profit which helps prepare low-income students from underserved communities for college. In addition to her work with the Emerson Collective, OZY and College Track, she serves on the boards of the NewSchools Venture Fund, Conservation International and Stanford University.