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Ian Simmons

Co-Founder and Principal, Blue Haven Initiative
President, Foundation for Civic Leadership

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About Ian

Committed to creating research and initiatives that strengthen democracy, Ian is the President of Foundation for Civic Leadership and Chair of the Youth Engagement Fund. Ian conceived of the National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement (NSLVE), which he then partnered with Tufts University to develop. NSLVE allows every campus in the United States to measure how many students vote, generating new insights into the relationship between higher education and democracy. Started in 2011, NSLVE now studies best practices in civic learning and engagement across 1023 institutions and serving over 8.5 million students. In 2015-2016 Ian started the project that created “Graduating Students into Voters,” a brief from Ideas 42 on the behavioral science and student voting. He also initiated an ongoing research project on how inefficient industries overcharge Americans. Ian serves on the board of directors of U.S. Impact Investing Alliance, Social Finance, Issue One, Organizing for Action, the National Advisory Board for Public Service at Harvard College and Karibu Homes, an affordable housing company in Kenya. Ian Simmons is Co-Founder and Principal of Blue Haven where he oversees a portfolio focused on investments that generate competitive financial returns and address social and environmental challenges. Ian graduated with honors from Harvard College in 2000. He lives in the Boston area with his wife, Blue Haven Co-Founder Liesel Pritzker Simmons, and their daughter.