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Laurene Powell Jobs
| Laurene Powell Jobs | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Organization: | Emerson Collective |
| Role: | President and Founder |
| Location: | San Francisco, California |
| Expertise: | Philanthropist and Entrepreneur |
| Education: | •University of Pennsylvania (B.A.) •Stanford University (MBA) |
| Website: | Official website |
Laurene Powell Jobs is the founder of the Emerson Collective, a philanthropic and venture capital group. She is the widow of Apple Computers founder Steve Jobs.[1]
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Powell and the Emerson Collective were together one of the top 100 donors to federal campaigns during the 2016 election cycle.[2]
Career
Laurene Powell Jobs graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School and the Stanford Graduate School of Business.[3] In 1997, Powell and Carlos Watson founded College Track, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) designed to help low-income students to prepare for college.[4]
Powell Jobs previously served on the board of Stanford University, as well as the board of Conservation International.[5][6]
In September 2015, Powell founded and gave $50 million to the XQ Institute, an initiative to "radically transform the high school experience for young people everywhere," according to the group's website.[7][8]
In 2025, Laurene Powell Jobs was 136th on Forbes' World's Billionaire List. Her net worth as of August, 2025 was $15.6 billion.[9]
Work and experience
Political contributions
In 2012, Laurene Powell Jobs gave the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee $30,800.[10]
In 2014, Powell contributed $500,000 to the Senate Majority PAC. That same year, she gave the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee $32,400 and the pro-Hillary Clinton Super PAC, Ready PAC, $25,000.[10]
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Powell and the Emerson Collective were together one of the top 100 donors to federal campaigns during the 2016 election cycle. The group Open Secrets reported that Powell contributed $2,305,072 toward federal-level campaigns.[2]
Powell contributed at least $800,000 during the 2016 election cycle toward a number of statewide candidates and California ballot measures. Her largest 2016 contribution in the state of California was a $500,000 sum to Taxpayers for Sentencing reform, the leading campaign in support of Prop 62. Prop 62 was designed to repeal the death penalty and make life without the possibility of parole the maximum punishment for murder.[11]
On November 4, 2016, Politico reported that Powell had contributed $250,000 to Maricopa Strong, a committee in Arizona that opposed Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was up for re-election against Democrat Paul Penzone.[12]
Between 2018 and 2022, Powell gave over $2.7 million to support candidates and political organizations, according to Federal Election Commission records.[13]
In 2023 and 2024, Powell Jobs gave over $1 million to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris' campaigns.[14]
The Emerson Collective
Powell Jobs is the founder of The Emerson Collective, whose website as of August 2025 called itself a group that "invests in entrepreneurs and innovators driven by purpose and a sense of possibility."[15] The group has a philanthropy arm and a venture capital arm.[16] The group purchased the Atlantic magazine in 2017.[17]
Ballot measure activity
Overview of ballot measure support and opposition
The following table details Laurene Powell Jobs' ballot measure stances available on Ballotpedia:
| Ballot measure support and opposition for Laurene Powell Jobs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballot measure | Year | Position | Amount | Status |
| California Proposition 62, Repeal of the Death Penalty | 2016 | Supported[18] | $500,000[18] | |
Notable endorsements
This section displays endorsements this organization made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope. Know of one we missed? Click here to let us know.
Noteworthy events
Appointment to White House Council for Community Solutions (2010)
In 2010, President Barack Obama named Laurene Powell Jobs to the White House Council for Community Solutions, a group to advise the president on ways to mobilize citizens, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and government entities in order to solve specific community needs.[19]
Top influencers by state
Influencers in American politics are power players who help get candidates elected, put through policy proposals, cause ideological changes, and affect popular perceptions. They can take on many forms: politicians, lobbyists, advisors, donors, corporations, industry groups, labor unions, single-issue organizations, nonprofits, to name a few.
In 2015, Ballotpedia identified Laurene Powell Jobs as a top influencer by state. We identified top influencers across the country through several means, including the following:
- Local knowledge of our professional staff
- Surveys of activists, thought leaders and journalists from across the country and political spectrum
- Outreach to political journalists in each state who helped refine our lists
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Laurene Powell Jobs. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Forbes, "Laurene Powell Jobs," accessed August 12, 2025
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Open Secrets, "Top Individual Contributors: All Federal Contributions," accessed October 27, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "Steve Jobs’s Widow Steps Onto Philanthropic Stage," May 17, 2013
- ↑ College Track, "Our Team," accessed August 12, 2025
- ↑ Conservation International , "Board of Directors," accessed August 12, 2025
- ↑ Stanford Daily , "Laurene Powell Jobs to join Stanford Board of Trustees," September 5, 2012
- ↑ Huffington Post, "Laurene Powell Jobs, Steve Jobs' Wife, Pledges $50 Million To Rethink Schools," September 21, 2015
- ↑ XQ , "About," accessed August 12, 2025
- ↑ Forbes , "Billionaires," accessed August 12, 2025
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 FEC, "Laurene Powell Jobs," accessed December 29, 2015
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Powell Jobs, Laurene; Including Emerson Collective, LLC.," accessed October 31, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "Soros spends $2 million to defeat Arpaio," November 4, 2016
- ↑ FEC , "Laurene Powell Jobs," accessed August 12, 2025
- ↑ Fortune , "Laurene Powell Jobs is one of Kamala Harris’ biggest bankrollers—and closest friends," September 26, 2024
- ↑ Emerson Collective , "Home," accessed August 12, 2025
- ↑ Emerson Collective , "Our Work," accessed August 12, 2025
- ↑ Politico , "Laurene Powell Jobs solidifies control of The Atlantic as Bradley relinquishes duties," November 20, 2019
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 California Fair Political Practices Commission, "November 2016 General Election," August 16, 2016
- ↑ The Whitehouse, "President Obama Announces Members of the White House Council for Community Solutions," accessed October 27, 2016
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