Brooklyn Org Names Timothy Simons Board Co-Chair as Community Philanthropy Movement Grows
The Brooklyn native brings decades of public policy, financial services and community leadership experience to an organization managing more than $150 million in charitable assets.
Brooklyn Org is entering its new fiscal year with a leadership transition that reflects its continued growth and evolving vision for local philanthropy.
Tim Simons, Brooklyn Org Board Co-Chair
The organization has appointed Timothy “Tim” Simons as Co-Chair of its Board of Directors. Simons succeeds Nicole Gueron, who served as Co-Chair beginning in 2020, and will lead the 26-member Board alongside Michael Gillespie.
The appointment comes as Brooklyn Org expands its impact across the borough and strengthens its position as a champion for Brooklyn and a national model for community philanthropy.
“Tim brings a remarkable combination of strategic vision, public policy expertise, and an enduring commitment to expanding opportunity for communities,” said Dr. Jocelynne Rainey, President and CEO of Brooklyn Org.
Rainey said Simons’ leadership will help the organization cultivate a new generation of Brooklyn donors and increase investment in community-led solutions.
A Brooklyn native, Simons brings more than two decades of experience in government relations, public policy, financial services, tax policy and regulatory strategy. He’s the co-founder of Forethought Advisors, LLC, a government relations firm focused on housing finance and financial services policy.
He’s also the founder and principal of Simonsgroup Tax Advisory, a Washington, D.C.-based firm providing strategic tax planning and advisory services to business owners, high-income professionals and real estate investors nationwide.
Throughout his career, Simons has worked at the intersection of policy, capital and economic opportunity. He helped create the Office of Minority and Women Inclusion through the Housing and Economic Recovery Act and the Dodd-Frank Act.
He later led the development of the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco’s $100 million Quality Jobs Fund. Launched in 2017, the donor-advised fund was designed to expand access to quality jobs in historically underserved communities.
Simons has also held leadership roles with Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, Weeksville Heritage Center and the former Brooklyn Historical Society, now the Center for Brooklyn History. He joined Brooklyn Org’s Board in 2023.
“It is an honor to serve as Board Co-Chair of Brooklyn Org,” Simons said. “Brooklyn has always been a place where communities come together to solve problems, invest in one another, and create opportunity.”
The transition also recognizes Gueron’s role in guiding Brooklyn Org through a period of significant transformation. During her tenure, the organization evolved from Brooklyn Community Foundation into Brooklyn Org, launched a new strategic plan and expanded approaches to community philanthropy that mobilized additional resources for Brooklyn neighborhoods.
Gueron will remain on the Board.
“Nicole’s leadership has helped shape one of the most significant chapters in Brooklyn Org’s history,” Rainey said.
Behind the leadership announcement is substantial responsibility. Brooklyn Org’s Board provides governance and oversight for more than $150 million in assets under management, including nearly 200 donor-advised funds. It also helps guide investments supporting Brooklyn nonprofits and communities.
Working alongside Rainey and a 20-person staff, the Board helps execute the organization’s strategic plan.
Simons’ appointment places an experienced policy strategist, financial services leader and Brooklyn advocate in a position to shape how philanthropic resources are governed, invested and connected to community priorities—demonstrating that the future of local philanthropy is not only about giving to communities, but empowering them to shape their own futures.