Jordan Simpson

Jordan provides strategic support to the Criminal Justice Policy team and is responsible for managing grants focused on post-conviction topics. Her work includes the identification of philanthropic opportunities and the development and management of grants in the prisons, community supervision, fines and fees, and reintegration spaces, with a special focus on litigation investments across these areas.

In her previous role as a criminal justice analyst at Arnold Ventures, Jordan provided research, analytical, and operational support across portfolios focused on corrections. She was responsible for designing and implementing processes to streamline proposal development and grants management on corrections portfolios, as well as providing strategic thought-partnership to the team. Prior to joining Arnold Ventures, Jordan interned with the Virginia Holistic Justice Initiative where she assisted in the development of local reentry-support resources for justice-involved central Virginians. She also interned at America Votes where she collaborated with staff on the development of state-based advocacy strategies to expand voting rights.

Jordan received her bachelor’s degree in American Studies with a minor in sociology from the University of Virginia. For two years, she served as president of the student chapter of the NAACP where she fundraised and organized on behalf of local statue recontextualization and racial justice efforts. Jordan also facilitates community-oriented restorative justice circles with Restorative Arlington and is a member of the Women’s Prisons Association’s Emerging Philanthropist program .