Neal Simon
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Neal Jerry Simon (born May 1, 1968) is a business executive and community leader in
Potomac, Maryland Potomac () is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 47,018. It is named a ...
. Simon has led four businesses and has served on the boards of several leading Maryland non-profits. He was the CEO of Bronfman Rothschild, which managed $6.1 billion, until its sale in May 2019. From 2006 to 2008, Simon was the chairman of the board of the Montgomery County Community Foundation and in 2016 Simon was elected chairman of the board of the Greater Washington Community Foundation. In April 2016, Simon and his family were recognized by Interfaith Works as Humanitarians of the Year. In 2018, Simon ran as an independent candidate for the U.S. Senate in Maryland on a politically centrist platform. Though he at one point polled as high as 18%, he ultimately earned less than 4% of the vote. Simon is the author of ''Contract to Unite America: Ten Reforms to Reclaim Our Republic''.


Early life and education

Simon was born in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, the middle child of Donald Simon and Sylvia Abitbol Simon. At a young age, his family moved to
North Woodmere, New York North Woodmere is an unincorporated hamlet in the Town of Hempstead, New York, located in far western Nassau County on the South Shore of Long Island. History Prior to its development in the late 1950s, the land stretching from Lawrence to ...
, while his father worked in equipment leasing and his mother worked as a school teacher then a travel agent. In 1986, Simon graduated from
George W. Hewlett High School George W. Hewlett High School (also known as Hewlett High School, or HHS, and replacing Woodmere High School) is a four-year public high school in Hewlett Bay Park, New York, United States. Located in the Five Towns area of Long Island, it is the ...
, where he served as class president for three years. Donald Simon was from Brooklyn, NY and is the son of immigrants from
Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...
. Simon's mother, Sylvia Abitbol, was born in
Casablanca, Morocco Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic coast of the Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a population of about 3.22 million in the urb ...
. In 1986, Simon began his studies at
Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...
. He also attended the Sorbonne (Universite de Paris) for the summer semester. While at Brown University, Simon attended
Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) is a Public university, public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Located in northwest Tel Aviv, the university is the center of teaching and ...
for the spring semester of his junior year, and he spent two summers working for Neuberger Berman in New York, NY. In 1990, he graduated from Brown University with a BA ''cum laude'' in Applied Mathematics and Economics. His senior thesis evaluated the impact on Palestinians of work in Israel. Between stints at William Kent International, Simon attended
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
Graduate School of Business where in 1995 he received a
Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...
high honors (top 5% of class). Upon graduation, in recognition largely for his starting and running the business school's Public Service Fellowship program, Simon received the President's Award for Student Volunteer Service. While at University of Chicago, Simon attended Universidad Catolica in Santiago, Chile, for one trimester. During the summer of 1994, he worked for the
World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...
in Washington, DC.


Business career

Simon worked for William Kent International (WKI) from 1990 to 1993 and again from 1995 to 1999. WKI specialized in helping large US corporations build their businesses overseas. Simon's clients included
Alcoa Alcoa Corporation (an acronym for "Aluminum Company of America") is an American industrial corporation. It is the world's eighth-largest producer of aluminum. Alcoa conducts operations in 10 countries. Alcoa is a major producer of primary alu ...
, Rockwell,
Kennametal Kennametal, Inc. is a manufacturer of high-performance cutting tools and engineered components used in the aerospace, defense, transportation and oil and gas drilling industries. Its customer base is global. History Kennametal was founded in 19 ...
, and
Rubbermaid Rubbermaid is an American manufacturer and distributor of household items. A subsidiary of Newell Brands, it is best known for producing food storage containers and trash cans. It also produces sheds, step stools, closets and shelving, laundry ...
. During his time at WKI, he worked in over 30 countries and ultimately became the firm's COO. Simon also served on the Board of the company's joint venture in
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
,
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
. In 1999, Simon left WKI to become chairman and CEO of USLaw, a national network of small law firms. USLaw was financed with $15 million led by UBS Capital, and the website USLaw.com quickly became the leader for consumers and small businesses researching their legal issues. The company gained notoriety for its offering online chats with attorneys. At its peak in 2000, the company employed 96. In November 2000, the company laid off 16 of its 96 people in a business restructuring. In late 2001, in the midst of the bursting of the tech bubble, USLaw was sold to Grand Central Holdings in New York City. In October 2000, Simon was recognized by ''Washington Business Forward'' as one of the top 40 business leaders under the age of 40 and in December 2000 he appeared on the cover of ''
Money Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are: m ...
'' magazine. After leaving USLaw in 2001, Simon joined the Meltzer Group as its president and COO. In 2002, Simon started a registered investment advisor which four years later became Highline Wealth Management. By 2015, the company managed $1.5 billion and was one of the fifty largest registered investment advisers in the country. On July 31, 2015, Highline was acquired by Bronfman Rothschild. ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' estimated the acquisition price at $30 million. As part of the transaction, Bronfman Rothschild moved its headquarters to Rockville, Maryland, and Simon was hired as chief executive officer. Simon's new partners included Sir Evelyn Rothschild and
Matthew Bronfman Matthew Bronfman (born July 16, 1959) is an American businessman, entrepreneur and philanthropist. A member of the Bronfman family, he is the son of prominent businessman and philanthropist Edgar Bronfman Sr. Biography Bronfman is one of seven ch ...
. In 2015, Simon appeared on the cover of Charles Schwab’s ''Portraits of Independence'', a collection of success stories in investment management. In January 2016, along Matthew Bronfman, Simon appeared on the cover of ''Financial Advisor'' magazine. In October 2017, Simon appeared on the cover of ''Financial Planning'' magazine, for an article featuring the company's growth. In July 2016, Bronfman Rothschild was recognized by '' Financial Advisor Magazine'' as the second-fastest growing investment advisory in the country. In August 2017, Simon hired Michael LaMena as president and COO, creating a new position in the company's leadership team. On March 26, 2019, Bronfman Rothschild announced its sale to NFP Corp. The sale was closed in May 2019, and Simon elected not to be part of the new company. During Simon's 17-year tenure as CEO, the company had grown every year.


2018 U.S. Senate campaign

On February 6, 2018, Simon declared his candidacy to represent the state of Maryland in the U.S. Senate as an independent. Three weeks after the campaign launch,
Unite America Unite America (previously known as The Centrist Project) is an American grassroots organization founded by Charlie Wheelan with the goal of reforming the political system and bridging the partisan divide. Unite America supports both electoral pol ...
, a grassroots political organization that advocates for the statewide election of independent candidates, announced their formal endorsement of Simon,
Governor Bill Walker William Martin Walker (born April 16, 1951) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 11th governor of Alaska, from 2014 to 2018. He was the second Alaska-born governor, after William A. Egan. Walker was born in Fairbanks to F ...
(I-AK),
Greg Orman Gregory John Orman (born December 2, 1968) is an American politician, businessman, and entrepreneur. He ran as an independent to represent Kansas in the United States Senate in the 2014 election, earning 42.5 percent of the vote and losing to in ...
,
Terry Hayes Terry Hayes (born 8 October 1951) is an Australian screenwriter, film producer and author. He is best known for his work with Kennedy Miller production house, with whom he won the AACTA Award for Best Film twice, for '' The Year My Voice Brok ...
, and Craig O'Dear. During the first quarter of 2018, Simon's fundraising matched that raised by incumbent Ben Cardin. On July 19, 2018, Simon submitted over 12,000 signatures to complete Maryland's state requirement for nomination by petition so he could be included on the ballot. Among Simon's signers was Governor
Larry Hogan Lawrence Joseph Hogan Jr. (born May 25, 1956) is an American politician who served as the 62nd governor of Maryland from 2015 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party and son of three-term U.S. representative Lawrence Hogan, he served as co-ch ...
. Simon endorsed Maryland Governor
Larry Hogan Lawrence Joseph Hogan Jr. (born May 25, 1956) is an American politician who served as the 62nd governor of Maryland from 2015 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party and son of three-term U.S. representative Lawrence Hogan, he served as co-ch ...
for re-election and said that Hogan had told him that he had voted for Simon. On Monday, September 24, Simon's campaign held a rally with
Isaac Slade Isaac Edward Slade (born May 26, 1981) is an American singer and musician; the former lead vocalist, main songwriter, pianist and co-founder of Colorado-based rock band The Fray. Education Slade attended the University of Colorado Denver, wher ...
, the lead singer of
The Fray The Fray is an American rock band from Denver, Colorado, formed in 2002 by schoolmates Isaac Slade and Joe King. Their debut studio album, '' How to Save a Life'' (2005) was released by Epic Records and received quadruple platinum certific ...
, which was Slade's first solo performance.


General election debate

On Sunday, October 7, Simon participated in a debate against Senator
Ben Cardin Benjamin Louis Cardin (born October 5, 1943) is an American lawyer and former politician who served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Maryland from 2007 until 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ...
and Republican candidate Tony Campbell. At the debate, Simon criticized Cardin for "failing to solve a range of problems during 52 years in public office", saying that he wants voters to be able to see “what a different government could look like, and what it might look like if we didn’t just have a senator following his party 97 percent of the time.” In response to a question about Baltimore's education system, Simon had some of his harshest criticisms. Simon also made his case against overt partisanship in the Senate, saying “I think the Steelers and Ravens are nicer to each other than the people in the United States Senate." In his closing statement, Simon called for two more debates, which were never scheduled.


General election

In an October Gonzales Research poll, Simon polled at 18% in the three-way race and had an overwhelming lead among undecided voters over his Democrat and Republican opponents. In mid-October, Simon suspended advertising and stopped actively fundraising. On November 6, Simon received 84,453 votes for 3.7% of the vote in the general election.


2020 book release

In January, 2020, Simon’s book ''Contract to Unite America: Ten Reforms to Reclaim Our Republic'' was published through RealClear Publishing. In the book, Simon explores the root causes for political gridlock in national politics, and unveils ten reform prescriptions to create incentives for politicians to work together on behalf of the American people.
Cindy McCain Cindy Lou McCain (; born May 20, 1954) is an American diplomat, businesswoman, and humanitarian who is the executive director of the World Food Programme. McCain previously served as List of ambassadors of the United States to the United Nation ...
, wife of the late-Senator
John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...
praised the book, saying: “ My husband always put country ahead of party, and he would be proud to know that other mavericks out there are still doing the same. Contract to Unite America makes a compelling case for reforms that were dear to John: not only campaign finance reform and bipartisan administrations, but also enriched civics education and expanded national service.” CNN and Sirius XM politics host
Michael Smerconish Michael Andrew Smerconish ( ; born March 15, 1962) is an American radio host, television presenter, political commentator, author, and lawyer. He hosts ''The Michael Smerconish Program'' on SiriusXM's POTUS Channel and a weekly program on CNN and ...
wrote in his review, "Whenever I speak about the dysfunction in our politics, which is often, I am asked for solutions. Here at last is what I can recommend. Neal Simon has written a thoughtful, well-sourced, and truly independent prescription for what ails America. This is the book our elected officials hope you never read.” In a review in ''Real Clear Politics'',
Morton Kondracke Morton Matt Kondracke (; born April 28, 1939) is an American journalist and political commentator. He became well known due to a long stint as a panelist for the television series '' The McLaughlin Group''. Kondracke worked for several major publi ...
wrote that Simon "has written a dazzlingly effective analysis of what’s wrong with our politics and has compiled the best list of specific changes I’ve encountered in several years of covering America’s growing political reform movement....His book is also well-written, clear, forceful, deeply researched, and filled with historical background tales." The book also received praise from
Frank Luntz Frank Ian Luntz (born February 23, 1962) is an American political and communications consultant and pollster, best known for developing talking points and other messaging for Republican causes. His work has included assistance with messaging ...
, Michael E. Porter,
Jason Altmire Jason Altmire (born March 7, 1968) is an American businessman, author, lobbyist and politician. He is the former Democratic U.S. Representative for , serving from 2007 until 2013. Prior to entering Congress, Altmire worked as a healthcare indust ...
,
Glenn Nye Glenn Carlyle Nye III (born September 9, 1974) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 2009 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He was defeated in his attempt to attain re-election on November 2, 2010. Th ...
,
Nancy Jacobson Nancy Jacobson (born November 9, 1962) is an American political activist. A former fundraiser for the Democratic Party, she later became founder and CEO of the centrist organization No Labels. Early career Jacobson was born in Miami, Florida, ...
, and
Evan McMullin David Evan McMullin (born April 2, 1976) is an American political candidate and former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer. McMullin ran as an independent in the 2016 United States presidential election and in the 2022 United States Sena ...
.


Political positions and affiliations

Neal Simon identifies himself as a "moderate independent." In the 2018 campaign, he described his fiscal positions as being closer to that of the Republican platform and his social positions as closer to those of the Democratic platform. He supports lower taxes, and advocates strongly for responsible fiscal management of the federal budget, including reducing federal debt. Simon supports same-sex marriage, maintaining the legality of abortion, and universal background checks for gun purchases. On his Senate campaign site, Simon favored a compromise solution for immigration, including tighter border security, nationalizing the
E-Verify E-Verify is a United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) website that allows businesses to determine the eligibility of their employees, both U.S. and foreign citizens, to work in the United States. The site was originally established i ...
program, and providing a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants that have been in the country for many years. One of Simon's stated primary objectives was to bring the country together. Simon advocates several reforms to the political system that are designed to improve the functioning of democracy. Simon supports
open primaries Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pri ...
, which would allow independent voters to participate in Maryland's primary elections, a system believed to result in more moderate representatives. Simon supports the elimination of
gerrymandering Gerrymandering, ( , originally ) defined in the contexts of Representative democracy, representative electoral systems, is the political manipulation of Boundary delimitation, electoral district boundaries to advantage a Political party, pa ...
for political advantage. He favors either mathematical algorithms or independent commissions to draw congressional districts. Simon supports the mandatory release of tax returns by both the President and the Vice President, and he is an advocate for term limits. In February 2019, in an op-ed co-authored with
Greg Orman Gregory John Orman (born December 2, 1968) is an American politician, businessman, and entrepreneur. He ran as an independent to represent Kansas in the United States Senate in the 2014 election, earning 42.5 percent of the vote and losing to in ...
in ''The Wall Street Journal'', Simon defended Howard Schultz's right to run as an independent in the 2020 presidential race. In February 2020, in ''The Bulwark'', Simon called for Mitt Romney to launch an independent bid for president along with a Democratic vice presidential candidate. In March 2019,
Unite America Unite America (previously known as The Centrist Project) is an American grassroots organization founded by Charlie Wheelan with the goal of reforming the political system and bridging the partisan divide. Unite America supports both electoral pol ...
announced that Simon had joined their board of directors to help scale the democracy reform movement. Simon is also on the boards of BPC Action (
Bipartisan Policy Center The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) is a Washington, D.C.–based think tank that promotes bipartisanship. The organization aims to combine ideas from both the Republican and Democratic parties to address U.S. policy challenges. History BPC w ...
) and Stand Up Republic.


Personal life

Simon has been married to Jennifer Brown Simon since 1995. They live in Potomac, Maryland, and have three children.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Simon, Neal Living people Brown University alumni University of Chicago Booth School of Business alumni American chief executives of financial services companies George W. Hewlett High School alumni American chief operating officers People from North Woodmere, New York Centrism in the United States 1968 births Candidates in the 2018 United States Senate elections Maryland independents