Simone Hardeman-Jones is the founding Executive Director of GreenLight Fund Twin Cities.  She began her career in public policy, serving in a variety of policy roles including in the Obama Administration as a key advisor to two U.S. Secretaries of Education and policy advisor to United States Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and the late Senator Kay R. Hagan (D-NC). 

Born and raised in Minneapolis, Simone currently resides in the Twin Cities with her husband and son. Simone sits on the boards of the African American Leadership Forum (The Forum), Children’s MN and Friends of the Children Twin Cities. Simone holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from The American University in Washington, D.C.