Laurene Powell Jobs is an entrepreneur and the founder and president of Emerson Collective, a company working to create a world of abundance for future generations. In establishing Emerson Collective in 2011, she pioneered a new model for impact that combines venture capital investing and philanthropic grant-making under one roof to accelerate solutions to complex challenges in education and economic mobility, immigration, and the environment.

In 2021, Powell Jobs also created the Waverley Street Foundation, a spend-down fund focused on advancing climate solutions that arise from and address the needs of communities on the frontlines of climate change.

A staunch advocate for education, in 1997 she founded College Track, a program helping thousands of students facing systemic barriers become the first in their family to graduate from college. She is also cofounder of The XQ Institute, an organization working to ensure high schools are preparing students for high-demand, high-wage jobs. She serves as board chair of both organizations.

Powell Jobs is lead investor and board chair of The Atlantic, and serves on the boards of Chicago CRED, Elemental Excelerator (where she is board chair), and the Ford Foundation. She is a member of the National Academy of Arts and Sciences and a recipient of Stanford Graduate School of Business’ Ernest C. Arbuckle Award.