Jewel James Simmons is Head of State and Local Government Relations for JPMorgan Chase & Co. She is responsible for leading the firm’s political activities in states and municipalities and management of regional state and local government relations managers nationwide. Before joining JPMorgan Chase, Jewel started James & Co., a boutique consulting firm which counseled early stage enterprises on strategies for leveraging public/private partnerships to accelerate market access.
From 2011 – 2014, Jewel served U.S. President Barack Obama as Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the White House. She was later promoted to Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
Prior to joining the Obama Administration, Jewel led the Federal-State Relations Office for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In her capacity as Director of Federal-State Relations, she advised Governor Deval Patrick and his Cabinet on strategies for engaging Congress and the federal government in support of key state initiatives. Jewel serves on the Board of Gibney, a leading performing arts and social justice organization based in New York City as well as InkPen, a non-profit based in Washington, DC focused on ensuring that readers of color have access to books from authors of color.
Jewel received her undergraduate degree from Howard University and a Master’s degree in Public Policy from Harvard University. She lives in Washington, DC with her husband, Jamal Simmons, and their two children.