Jean Case (previously Villanueva and Wackes, born 1959) is an American businesswoman, author, and philanthropist who is chair of the board of National Geographic, CEO of Case Impact Network, and CEO of the

Case Foundation Founded in 1997 by AOL co-founder Steve Case and his wife Jean Case, the Case Foundation invests in individuals, nonprofits, and social enterprises aiming to connect people, increase giving, and catalyze civic action. Echoing the foundation's dee ...

. She is married to AOL co-founder Steve Case.

Early life

Case was born in Bloomington, Illinois and raised in

Normal, Illinois Normal is a town in McLean County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town's population was 52,736. Normal is the smaller of two principal municipalities of the Bloomington–Normal metropolitan area, and Illinois' seventh most ...

before moving to

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. She attended high school at the Westminster Academy in

Fort Lauderdale A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

, graduating in 1978.

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, worked as director of marketing, vice president for marketing, and vice president for corporate communications.Information for Jean N. Villanueva from SEC filing for America Online Inc.
1996-10-31. She left AOL in 1996. She and her husband created the

in 1997 and they joined the Giving Pledge in 2011, committing to give away a majority of their wealth. In June 2006, Case was appointed by President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

to chair the

President's Council on Service and Civic Participation The President's Council on Service and Civic Participation was created by U.S. President George W. Bush in January 2003 by executive order. Its mission is to encourage volunteerism and to recognize the contributions Americans make through serv ...

. 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 Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

, prepare Palestinian youth for the responsibilities of citizenship and

good governance Good governance is the process of measuring how public institutions conduct public affairs and manage public resources and guarantee the realization of human rights in a manner essentially free of abuse and corruption and with due regard for th ...

, and marshal new private investment in the

West Bank The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

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

Board membership

In February 2016, Case was elected chair of the

National Geographic Society The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational organizations in the world. Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, an ...

's board of trustees, the first woman to hold the position, and also serves on the boards of Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure, the

White House Historical Association The White House Historical Association, founded in 1961 through efforts of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, is a private, non-profit organization that works to preserve the history of the White House and make that history more accessible to the pub ...

, and BrainScope Company, Inc., as well as the advisory councils of the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and the Civil Society, Georgetown University's Beeck Center for Social Impact & Innovation, 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 Malaria No More is a nonprofit organization that seeks to eradicate malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, a ...

Investments

Case has long been a "leader in

impact investing Impact investing refers to investments "made into companies, organizations, and funds with the intention to generate a measurable, beneficial social or environmental impact alongside a financial return". At its core, impact investing is about an al ...

" 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. Case has been profiled for her impact investments by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Ni ...

'', and ''

Bloomberg News Bloomberg News (originally Bloomberg Business News) is an international news agency headquartered in New York City and a division of Bloomberg L.P. Content produced by Bloomberg News is disseminated through Bloomberg Terminals, Bloomberg Tele ...

''. Jean and Steve Case have personally invested in and leveraged new online platforms for social good, such as

Network for Good Network for Good is an American certified B Corporation software company that offers fundraising software and coaching for charities and non-profit organizations. The company was founded in 2001 by America Online (AOL), Cisco Systems and Yahoo! ...

, Causes, and

MissionFish Founded in 1999, MissionFish is the partner charity of eBay, which runs auction and shopping websites in 30 countries. Through MissionFish, eBay users are able to donate to registered nonprofit organisations when they buy and sell through the eBay.c ...

. In 2011, she opened Early Mountain Vineyards, a 300-acre property in

Madison, Virginia Madison is a town in Madison County, Virginia, United States. The population was 229 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Madison County. History The Hebron Lutheran Church, The Homeplace, James City Historic District, Madison County ...

, whose wines have won awards from ''

Wine Enthusiast ''Wine Enthusiast'' magazine is an American wine magazine published by Wine Enthusiast Companies in Valhalla, New York. Founded in 1979 by Adam and Sybil Strum, Wine Enthusiast Companies engages in the wine accessories, storage, information, educat ...

'' and ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...

''. In 2018, ''Washington Post'' wine columnist Dave McIntyre wrote "Early Mountain is a Virginia winery riding a rocket."

Awards and recognition

Jean and Steve Case were named by ''

Barron's Barron's or Barrons may refer to: *Barron's Educational Series, a publisher of books, as well as college entrance exam preparation classes and materials, now an imprint of Kaplan Test Prep ** B.E.S. Publishing, the former owner of Barron's * ''Barr ...

'' as one of the "25 Best Givers" in 2011 and one of the "9 Most Generous Tech Entrepreneurs" by ''

Fast Company ''Fast Company'' is a monthly American business magazine published in print and online that focuses on technology, business, and design. It publishes six print issues per year. History ''Fast Company'' was launched in November 1995 by Alan Web ...

'' in 2013. They received the Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship in 2001. The award was given out by the

Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (or Wilson Center) is a quasi-government entity and think tank which conducts research to inform public policy. Located in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Wash ...

of the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Jean and Steve Case were honored with the Lifetime of Idealism Award by

City Year City Year is an American education nonprofit organization founded in 1988. The organization partners with public schools in 29 high-need communities across the US and through international affiliates in the UK and Johannesburg, South Africa. Ci ...

in 2009 and honored as Citizens of the Year by the

National Conference on Citizenship The National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC) is a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening civic life in America. They pursue their mission through a nationwide network of partners involved in a cutting-edge Civic Health ...

in 2011 Case was named the '' Washington Business Journal''s Corporate Philanthropist of the Year in 2011. In 2013 she received the Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award from

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the un ...

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 ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

''s "Startup of the Year." In 2014, Case received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...

Lilly Family School of Philanthropy for her philanthropic work, and in 2015 she received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from George Mason University. In 2016, Case was elected to the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...

. 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.

Personal life

While Case was working at AOL, she divorced her first husband and started a relationship with Steve Case. She and Steve married in 1998 in a ceremony officiated by the Rev.

Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American evangelist and an ordained Southern Baptist minister who became well known internationally in the late 1940s. He was a prominent evangelical Christi ...

.Alt URL
/ref> They previously resided in

McLean, Virginia McLean ( ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County in Northern Virginia. McLean is home to many diplomats, military, members of Congress, and high-ranking government officials partially due to its proxi ...

, in a mansion that was the childhood home of

Jacqueline Bouvier Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A pop ...

, which they sold in 2018.

Publications

* Case, Jean; ''Be Fearless: 5 Principles for a Life of Breakthroughs and Purpose''

References

External links

The Case Foundation

Jean and Steve Case on their strategy for changing the world

It’s Time To Be Fearless, Stanford Social Innovation Review

How to Build the Perfect Philanthropy, Time magazine, Oct. 10, 2012
*
White House Hosts Innovation Forum for Philanthropists, Chronicle of Philanthropy

Steve and Jean Case on discuss philanthropy with NYSE CEO Duncan Niederauer

What Happens When You Infuse Philanthropy With Tech Entrepreneurial Spirit?

Video of Jean Case opening the Promoting Innovation Summit, co-hosted by the Case Foundation, the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy and the Domestic Policy Council, April 30, 2010

Malaria No More

-- ''Time'' op-ed by President Bill Clinton, First Lady Laura Bush, and Case Foundation CEO Jean Case, Sept. 24, 2006 * at the 2007

Global Philanthropy Forum The Global Philanthropy Forum (GPF) is an initiative of the World Affairs Council which acts as a peer-learning network of philanthropists — grant-makers and social investors — committed to advancing equity and opportunity in the d ...

, July 5, 2007
Video of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, U.S.-Palestinian Partnership (UPP) Chairman Walter Isaacson, and UPP Co-Chairs Ziad Asali and Jean Case
��at a meeting and joint press availability with U.S. business leaders and UPP, April 29, 2008
Video of Jean Case moderating a panel on "Partners in Service: The Role of the Private Sector" at the 2008 ServiceNation Summit, Sept. 12, 2008

Video of Jean Case's TedXMidAtlantic Talk on the Importance of Entrepreneurship and Innovators

Jean Case on Unlocking the American Dream
{{DEFAULTSORT:Case, Jean 1959 births Living people American women chief executives American nonprofit chief executives AOL people People from McLean, Virginia American women philanthropists National Geographic Society People from Bloomington, Illinois People from Normal, Illinois 21st-century American women