Jo Anne grew up in working class Yonkers, NY, the oldest girl in a family of five. She learned early the value of family, commitment and respect for others. These are the values she brings to her profession and her community. Jo Anne moved to Brooklyn in 1981.
The first in her family to go to college, she graduated Iona College with a Bachelor's Degree in Communication Sciences, Gallaudet University with a Master's Degree in Education of the Deaf, and Fordham University School of Law, where she earned her law degree at night while working full-time.
For over 30 years, Jo Anne Simon has fought to improve the lives of others. As a teacher and a lawyer, she has worked to ensure that all people have access to education, public services, and the workplace. Early in her career, Jo Anne was a teacher of deaf and deaf-blind children. Later, she served as college administrator to provide support to college students with multiple disabilities. She also returned to the classroom to teach as an adjunct professor at Fordham Law.
Jo Anne is a civil rights attorney in Brooklyn where she concentrates on discrimination in higher education, standardized testing and employment. She served as lead counsel for the successful plaintiff in the landmark case, Bartlett v. New York State Board of Law Examiners, which opened the doors of higher education and the profession to thousands of students with disabilities around the country. In July 2008 she testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions in support of the ADA Amendments Act where her testimony focused on ‘high-stakes” standardized testing.
Jo Anne has been active in neighborhood civic and environmental justice issues for over 20 years. From transportation and land use to parks and open space, Jo Anne has been a pioneer in community involvement. She worked closely with her Boerum Hill community to create community-driven development at the Hoyt-Schermerhorn site, which sat vacant for 70 years. She spearheaded the creation of Downtown Brooklyn Coalition, groups from the neighborhoods surrounding Downtown Brooklyn that came together to speak with one voice to resolve concerns regarding the area’s proposed rezoning. She strongly believes that every re-development must include rent stabilized housing and has signed the Pledge for Accountable Development to demonstrate that commitment.
Jo Anne has been a strong voice against the City Council’s bypassing a voter referendum and extending term limits by legislation. In regards to this, she has stated: “This is about New York citizens' constitutional rights as voters in a democratic society to not only be heard but to have our votes be meaningful and our collective decisions honored once they have made them."
Jo Anne has served on many stakeholder groups and community associations. She is a Past Chair of the Gowanus Community Stakeholder group that recommended the proposal to replace the expressway with a tunnel, which is currently being considered by the state. She is currently President of the NY Branch of the international Dyslexia Association.
She currently serves as the Democratic State Committeewoman and District Leader for the 52nd Assembly District. Jo Anne is a member of the Independent Neighborhood Democrats, Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats, Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn, and serves on the Executive Committee, 504 Democrats, the country's oldest political club focusing on disability issues.
Jo Anne lives in Boerum Hill with her husband, Bill Harris.