Adele Simmons is President of Global Philanthropy Partnership, a non-profit which promotes global giving and strengthens the infrastructure that assists global donors focusing on climate change, global poverty, and security. Adele co-chaired the Task Force that developed a Climate Action Plan for the City of Chicago and was a member of the committee that oversaw its implementation. She helped found the Urban Sustainability Directors Network that links 120 cities in the U.S. and Canada, and she led the Chicagoland Corporate Sustainability Directors network for 20+ years.
Ms. Simmons is currently on the board of the Field Museum, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the Union of Concerned Scientists, The Weil Foundation, the Ceres President’s Council, the Newberry Library, The American Prospect, and The Synergos Institute. She has served on a number of Commissions, including President Bush’s Commission on Sustainable Development, the Commission on Global Governance, and the UN High Level Advisory Board on Sustainable Development.
Ms. Simmons is a co-founder of the U.S. Energy Foundation. She was a member of the Marsh & McLennan Board from 1977-2015. She was President of the MacArthur Foundation between 1989-1999, launching their global work on climate change and overseeing grants of over $1.5 billion. The Foundation’s international programs focus on the environment, population, international peace and security, understanding inequality within and among nations, and climate change.
Before joining MacArthur, Simmons was President of Hampshire College, Dean of Students and Assistant Professor of History at Princeton University, Dean of Jackson College at Tufts University, and a member of the Harvard Board of Overseers. She has lived in England, Mauritius, Kenya, and Tunisia.