Lateefah A. Simon (born January 29, 1977) is an American politician. She serves on the Bay Area Rapid Transit board of directors, on the board of trustees of the California State University system, and as the president of MeadowFund, a donor-advised fund created by Patricia Quillin, the wife of Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings.[1] Simon was previously the president of Akonadi Foundation, an organization focused on racial justice in Oakland, California.[2] In 2003, she received a MacArthur Fellowship for her leadership of the Center for Young Women's Development (now the Young Women's Freedom Center) from age 19.[3][4]
Lateefah Simon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| San Francisco BART Board of Directors | |
| Assumed office 2016 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 29, 1977 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Kevin Weston (m. 2012; died 2014) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Mills College (BA) University of San Francisco (MPA) |
Early life
Simon earned a Bachelor of Arts in public policy at Mills College, a Master of Public Administration from the University of San Francisco, and was a 2014 Social Entrepreneurs-in-Residence Fellow at Stanford University,[5] where she was the 2017 commencement speaker.[6]
Career
During the tenure of Kamala Harris as San Francisco District Attorney, Simon led the creation of the city's Back on Track program for young adults charged with low-level felony drug sales.[1] Simon also previously worked as the executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area.
In 2016, Simon was appointed to the California State University Board of Trustees by Governor Jerry Brown.[7]
Simon was elected to represent the seventh district on the Bay Area Rapid Transit District board of directors in 2016.[8] Her motivations for running included her reliance on BART, as someone who is legally blind and unable to drive.[9] In 2020, she was elected president of the board of directors.[8]
In February 2023, Simon announced that she was running for California's 12th congressional district.[1] The current representative for the district, Barbara Lee, who did not seek re-election to the seat and instead ran as a candidate in the 2024 United States Senate election in California; Lee would not advance in the Senate primary. On November 2, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom endorsed her candidacy.[10]
Personal life
Simon is the mother of two children.[5] Simon's husband, Kevin Weston, was a recognized journalist and activist who died from leukemia in 2014.[11]
Awards
- 2003 MacArthur Fellows Program[4]
- 2007 Jefferson Award[12]