Jean Case

Last updated
Steve Case
​
(m. 1998)​
Jean Case
Ray Chambers, Bill Clinton, Jean Case, Steve Case and Laura Bush at President Bill Clinton's Annual Global Initiative Conference in New York, September 20, 2006.jpg
Laura Bush announces a $60 million partnership between the U.S. Government and the Case Foundation at the Clinton Global Initiative conference in New York on September 20, 2006
Chair of the National Geographic Society
Assumed office
February 2016
Education Westminster Academy
OccupationCEO, Case Foundation
Chair, National Geographic
Website CaseFoundation.org

Jean Case [1] (previously Villanueva and Wackes, [2] born 1959) is an American businesswoman, author, and philanthropist who is chair of the board of National Geographic, [3] CEO of Case Impact Network, and CEO of the Case Foundation. [4] [5] [6] She is married to AOL co-founder Steve Case.

Contents

Early life

Case was born in Bloomington, Illinois and raised in Normal, Illinois before moving to Florida. [7] [8] She attended high school at the Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale, graduating in 1978. [9]

Career

Early career

Case began her career as the marketing manager with online information services Source Telecomputing Corporation (The Source) and joining a General Electric “team trying to drive disruptive innovation within a big company” at General Electric Information Services (GEnie). Case then joined America Online (AOL) when it was a small startup and was at the table as it grew into the company that provided Internet services to about half of all U.S. homes with Internet access, [10] worked as director of marketing, vice president for marketing, and vice president for corporate communications. [11] She left AOL in 1996. [12]

She and her husband created the Case Foundation in 1997 and they joined the Giving Pledge in 2011, committing to give away a majority of their wealth. [13]

In June 2006, Case was appointed by President George W. Bush to chair the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation.

In 2007, Case was asked by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to serve as a co-chair of the U.S.-Palestinian Partnership to promote economic opportunities for the Palestinian people, prepare Palestinian youth for the responsibilities of citizenship and good governance, and marshal new private investment in the West Bank.

In 2016, Case gave a TedxMidAtlantic talk, where she highlighted the importance innovators have played in the history of the United States and examined modern entrepreneurship. [14] [15]

In 2018, in reference to the under-representation of woman-founded and African-American-founded companies as recipients of venture capital, Case stated, "One thing we know for sure is talent is evenly distributed. Opportunity is not." [16]

In 2021, she advocated for making it easier for inexperienced investors to make stock market bets. [17]

Board membership

In February 2016, Case was elected chair of the National Geographic Society's board of trustees, [18] the first woman to hold the position, and also serves on the boards of Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure, the White House Historical Association, [19] and BrainScope Company, Inc., as well as the advisory councils of the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and the Civil Society, [20] Georgetown University's Beeck Center for Social Impact & Innovation, [21] and the Brain Trust Accelerator Fund. Past board and advisory council leadership includes the Harvard Business School Social Enterprise Initiative, the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, and Malaria No More.

Investments

Case has long been a "leader in impact investing" [22] [23] and was a cofounder of The ImPact, a membership network of family enterprises (family offices, foundations, and businesses) that are committed to making investments with measurable social impact and was a member of the U.S. NAB to the G7 Task Force on Impact Investing. [24]

Case has been profiled for her impact investments by The New York Times , [25] Financial Times , [26] and Bloomberg News . [27] Jean and Steve Case have personally invested in and leveraged new online platforms for social good, such as Network for Good, [28] Causes, and MissionFish. In 2011, she opened Early Mountain Vineyards, a 300-acre property in Madison, Virginia, whose wines have won awards from Wine Enthusiast [29] and USA Today . [30] In 2018, Washington Post wine columnist Dave McIntyre wrote "Early Mountain is a Virginia winery riding a rocket." [31]

Awards and recognition

Jean and Steve Case were named by Barron's as one of the "25 Best Givers" in 2011 [32] and one of the "9 Most Generous Tech Entrepreneurs" by Fast Company in 2013. [33] They received the Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship in 2001. The award was given out by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Jean and Steve Case were honored with the Lifetime of Idealism Award by City Year in 2009 [34] and honored as Citizens of the Year by the National Conference on Citizenship in 2011 [35]

Case was named the Washington Business Journal 's Corporate Philanthropist of the Year in 2011. [36] In 2013 she received the Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award from Wake Forest University [37] and was a finalist for the Washington Business Journal's "Most Admired Nonprofit CEO." That same year she as a mentor for the Wall Street Journal 's "Startup of the Year." [38]

In 2014, Case received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy for her philanthropic work, [39] and in 2015 she received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from George Mason University. [40]

In 2016, Case was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

In 2020, the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) presented Case, and her husband Steve, with the 2020 American Spirit Award recognizing their philanthropic leadership and outstanding contribution to society.[ citation needed ]

Personal life

While Case was working at AOL, she divorced her first husband and started a relationship with Steve Case. [41] She and Steve married in 1998 in a ceremony officiated by the Rev. Billy Graham. [42] They previously resided in McLean, Virginia, in a mansion that was the childhood home of Jacqueline Bouvier, which they sold in 2018. [43]

Publications

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References

  1. ↑ National Geographic Society: About Us - Council of Advisors: Jean N. Case
  2. ↑ "Spectrum (newsletter for employees of GEnie, includes 1986 photo of Jean Wackes)" (PDF). GE Information Services Company. August–September 1986. Jean Wackes (Senior Communications Specialist, Advertising and Sales Promotion)... Wackes (who had worked for The Source)...
  3. ↑ "Exclusive: From AOL Exec to Antarctic Explorer, Meet Nat Geo's First Female Chairman". Fortune. Retrieved 2017-10-31.
  4. ↑ "Our Team". 2019-01-09. Retrieved 2019-01-09.
  5. ↑ Sullivan, Paul (2018-03-16). "How to Invest With a Conscience (and Still Make Money) (Published 2018)". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  6. ↑ "Simon & Schuster to Publish Jean Case's Be Fearless in January". 2019-09-20. Archived from the original on 2019-04-22. Retrieved 2019-01-09.
  7. ↑ "B-N Native Jean Case: Social Investing Can Become 'Capitalism 2.0'". WGLT. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
  8. ↑ . "The Cases ... in their home states of Hawaii and Florida"
  9. ↑ O'Connor, Lona; Hirschman, Bill (2000-10-17). "Gift Of Learning: School Gets $8 Million". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  10. ↑ Madrigal, Alexis C. "The Fall of Facebook". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2017-10-31.
  11. ↑ Information for Jean N. Villanueva from SEC filing for America Online Inc. 1996-10-31.
  12. ↑ "AOL exec takes leave". Washington Business Journal. 1996-10-18. Jean Villanueva, vice president of corporate communications for America Online Inc., said she will take a six-month leave of absence from the company.
  13. ↑ "Steve and Jean Case pledge half their wealth - Washington Business Journal". Bizjournals.com. 2010-12-09. Retrieved 2014-05-02.
  14. ↑ TEDx Talks (2017-01-10), Unlocking the American Dream | Jean Case | TEDxMidAtlantic , retrieved 2017-02-07
  15. ↑ Works, FastCo (2016-10-14). "Calling All Entrepreneurs – Share your story & photo for a chance to win!". Fast Company. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  16. ↑ LaRoche, Julia (2018-03-27). "Venture capital has yet to unlock this powerful economic opportunity". finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  17. ↑ Indap, Sujeet; Kruppa, Miles; Fontanella-Khan, James (2021-10-22). "Financiers find safe space for Milken jamboree at The Beverly Hilton". Financial Times. Retrieved 2021-10-24.
  18. ↑ "Jean Case Elected Chairman of National Geographic Society Board of Trustees". nationalgeographic.com. Archived from the original on 2017-07-08.
  19. ↑ Coleman, Lauren deLisa. "Hold Onto Your Seatbelts, Jean Case Has Her Eye On Disrupting Tech Investment Patterns". Forbes. Retrieved 2017-10-31.
  20. ↑ "Advisory Board | Philanthropy and Civil Society". Archived from the original on 2015-03-06. Retrieved 2015-03-05.
  21. ↑ "The Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation".
  22. ↑ Sullivan, Paul (2018-03-16). "How to Invest With a Conscience (and Still Make Money)". The New York Times . Retrieved 2018-12-31.
  23. ↑ MacBride, Elizabeth (2018-05-17). "A new multibillion-dollar investment revolution is being led by this woman". cnbc.com. Retrieved 2018-12-31.
  24. ↑ "Partners". U.S. Impact Investing Alliance.
  25. ↑ Sullivan, Paul (2018-03-16). "How to Invest With a Conscience (and Still Make Money) (Published 2018)". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  26. ↑ Murray, Sarah (2019-10-17). "Rich millennials push to put family wealth into impact investments". www.ft.com. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  27. ↑ "Jean Case on Swimming With Sharks, Investing and Impact-Washing". Bloomberg.com. 2020-02-06. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  28. ↑ "1 Billion Reasons to Celebrate with Network for Good". Case Foundation. 18 February 2014. Retrieved 2014-05-02.
  29. ↑ "Blog Post: Wine Enthusiast Nominates Early Mountain- American Winery of the Year, 2018". www.earlymountain.com. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  30. ↑ "Best Tasting Room Winners (2016) | USA TODAY 10Best". 10Best. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  31. ↑ McIntyre, Dave. "There are more good rosés than ever, including a Virginia stunner". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  32. ↑ McGee, Suzanne (2010-12-06). "The 25 Best Givers - Barron's". Online.barrons.com. Retrieved 2014-05-02.
  33. ↑ "The 9 Most Generous Tech Entrepreneurs | Co.Exist | ideas + impact". Fastcoexist.com. 2013-09-19. Retrieved 2014-05-02.
  34. ↑ "City Year DC Honorees Include Governor Frank Keating and Brian Sasscer". Case Foundation. Archived from the original on 2014-04-23. Retrieved 2014-05-02.
  35. ↑ "Jean Case and Steve Case to receive 'Citizen of the Year' Award". NCoC. Archived from the original on 2013-08-06. Retrieved 2014-05-02.
  36. ↑ "Washington Business Journal honors corporate philanthropists - Washington Business Journal". Bizjournals.com. 2011-05-12. Retrieved 2014-05-02.
  37. ↑ "2013 Excellence in Entrepreneurship Banquet Keynote Speaker | Innovation, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship | Wake Forest University". Entrepreneurship.wfu.edu. 2013-04-11. Archived from the original on 2014-05-11. Retrieved 2014-05-02.
  38. ↑ "About the Mentor: Jean Case - WSJ Startup of the Year 2013". Projects.wsj.com. Archived from the original on 2018-12-23. Retrieved 2014-05-02.
  39. ↑ "Three to receive honorary degrees during IUPUI commencement". IUPUI Newsroom. Archived from the original on September 16, 2015. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  40. ↑ Preston Williams (November 25, 2015). "Case, Roth will address Mason winter graduates". George Mason University.
  41. ↑ "Star Gazing". The Kansas City Star. March 6, 1996. p. 64. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  42. ↑ "Digits: "You've got married"". Wall Street Journal. 1998-07-09. Archived from the original on 2015-07-08. Steve Case ... has tied the knot with companion Jean Villanueva ... the top public-relations official at AOL until she left the company in 1996. Officiating at the small ceremony was the Rev. Billy Graham. Alt URL
  43. ↑ Eisler, Kim (2007-02-01). "Second Coming". The Washingtonian.
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