People

Marilyn Hawrys Simons has been the president of the Simons Foundation since its inception in 1994. During this period, the foundation has grown rapidly to become one of the country’s leading private funders of basic scientific research. Simons is an advocate for…

Marilyn Simons is a leader and advocate in the not-for profit scientific community. A co-founder of the Simons Foundation, she currently serves as a co-chair of the foundation’s board of trustees.

Rachel Stram joined the Simons Foundation in 2025 as an administrative specialist for the Science, Society & Culture division. She previously managed human resources and administrative functions at an international research lab at Boston College. Additionally, she has experience working across the…

John Tracey joined the Simons Foundation in 2014 as part of a team to improve public engagement with science. As program director, Tracey works with the senior vice president of Science, Society & Culture to develop and execute funding strategy.

Kelsa Trom is a senior program manager who oversees special initiatives to support Science, Society & Culture awardees’ boundary-breaking work – and to propel new creative projects.

Omar Vera joined the Science, Society & Culture team in the fall of 2021. As program manager, Vera is responsible for assisting with Science, Society & Culture’s program development, including assisting with the review of programs for its portfolio of science outreach…