Philanthropist Barbara Picower

As the president and chair of the board of directors of the JPB Foundation, Barbara Picower has directed more than $2.5 billion in grants to a diverse range of nonprofits since 2011. Operating three core programs (Poverty, Environment, and Medical Research), the JPB Foundation maintains a lean staff while working with consultants and experts in various fields to develop targeted funding strategies with maximum impact. For example, via the Foundation's Medical Research Advisory Committee, Barbara Picower consults with distinguished leaders like Rockefeller University President Richard P. Lifton, MD, PhD, as well as Jeffrey M. Friedman, MD, PhD, the Marilyn M. Simpson Professor at Rockefeller University.

Barbara Picower oversees the Foundation's grantmaking portfolio, which includes nationally recognized and emerging organizations working in areas such as economic justice, reproductive rights, health equity, racial justice, and democracy. She leads the Foundation under the mission of improving quality of life for all Americans via transformational initiatives that promote community health and resiliency.

In addition to her work with the Foundation, Barbara Picower is a member of the board of directors for Living Cities and serves on the Board of Dean's Advisors at the Harvard School of Public Health. A graduate of New York University, she earned a master of arts in history and secondary education and master of science in nutrition. She also holds a bachelor of arts in political science from Hofstra University.

In April 2023, Ms. Picower announced plans to step down as president of the JPB Foundation. She will become president emerita in February 2024 and will be succeeded by former JPB Foundation grantee and board vice chair Deepak Bhargava. In a statement, Mr. Bhargava called Ms. Picower “a visionary leader … with a resounding passion to empower those living in poverty, enrich and sustain our environment, and enable pioneering medical research.”