Jill Simeone

Biography

Jill Simeone joined New York University Stern School of Business as a Clinical Associate Professor of the Business and Society Program in September 2024. She teaches courses on law, business and society, as well as professional responsibility and leadership.

Simeone has expertise in scaling tech companies pre- and post-IPO, building effective boards, tech platform and marketplace regulation, and corporate governance and reporting. She has spent the majority of her career leading and advising companies, large and small, across a range of geographies and sectors, through strategic growth. Most recently, she held the role of chief legal officer at Etsy, Inc., and was part of the leadership team that turned the company around post-IPO. She was integral in shifting Etsy to integrated reporting, including the company’s audited ESG reporting in their SEC filings, co-equal with their financial results. She also helped design a bespoke DEI program that delivered on the goal of workplace fairness and opportunity for all: BIPOC leadership in the company increased by 188% (2018-2022), 50% of the company’s entire workforce, executive team, and board identified as women, and the Human Rights Campaign recognized Etsy as one of the best places to work for LGBTQ+ equality (scoring 100% on their Corporate Equality Index).

Prior to her 20 year corporate career, Simeone was a prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office (with a focus on prosecuting sex crimes). She currently serves as an independent director on the board of Bakkt, Inc., and serves as a Trustee of the Brooklyn Friends School. She mentors c-suite executives in the tech sector on IPO readiness. In 2022, she was honored with the Brooklyn Legal Services Champion of Justice Award.

Simeone received her AB in American History and Literature from Harvard College, her JD from the University of California, San Francisco, Law School, and as a Fulbright Scholar, she studied international business and law in Mexico.

Research Interests

• Micro-entrepreneurship as a Tool for Social Change
• The Value of Corporate Citizenship
• Designing Effective Corporate Diversity Programs
• Tech Platform & Marketplace Regulation
• IPOs, Shareholders, and Activism

Courses Taught

• Law, Business & Society
• Professional Responsibility
• Professional Responsibility & Leadership

Academic Background

JD
University of California Law School, San Francisco

AB, American History & Literature
Harvard College, Harvard University