Simone Tureck Lee has two decades of experience working on behalf of transition-age youth who have experienced California’s foster care system. With early beginnings in direct practice in foster care, mental health and youth development in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, Simone transitioned into statewide advocacy and systems-improvement work in 2009 when she joined John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY). Simone was the Executive Director of the Alameda County Foster Youth Alliance from 2014 to 2016, before returning to JBAY where she currently oversees the organization’s housing, health, and economic mobility initiatives, including state policy and budget proposals as well as policy implementation and technical assistance. Simone was born and raised in the Bay Area and holds a Master’s Degree in Social Welfare from UC Berkeley in the Management and Planning Concentration.
John Burton Advocates for Youth improves the quality of life for youth in California who have been in foster care or homeless by advocating for better laws, training communities to strengthen local practices and conducting research to inform policy solutions.
