Simone Friedman is head of philanthropy and impact investment for EJF Philanthropies, her family’s philanthropic umbrella. Overseeing a grant portfolio encompassing food systems, education, pediatric healthcare, wildlife conservation, and Jewish life, Simone focuses on creating collaborations with other philanthropists with shared areas of interest. Her impact investment work, which she manages in concert with her grantmaking, is focused on building supply chains for higher-welfare kosher meat and improving the conditions for farmed animals. Prior to her involvement with EJF Philanthropies, Simone founded and later sold an analytics firm that used trends in patenting to conduct competitive intelligence. Simone graduated summa cum laude from the George Washington University and holds a Master’s of Urban and Environmental Planning degree from the University of Virginia. She serves on the boards of Sixth & I Historic Synagogue and the Cheetah Conservation Fund.