John B. Simon, a partner with the law firm of Jenner & Block since 1986 and a graduate of the DePaul University College of Law, has been named the chairman of DePaul’s Board of Trustees. He assumed the post Oct. 1.

“I am eager to continue assisting DePaul’s efforts to expand access to high quality education to under-represented students,” said Simon. “DePaul’s new president has created fresh enthusiasm about the university and its Vincentian mission. I look forward to helping him tap into Chicago’s vibrant philanthropic community to support key initiatives emerging from our strategic plan.”

The Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M., president of DePaul, already has reaped the benefits of Simon’s local contacts. “John is enormously committed to DePaul and its students,” he said. “I’m especially grateful for the ways that he is introducing me to the City of Chicago. Through him, I’ve already come to know many proud DePaul graduates and Chicago leaders who respect DePaul and are willing to help us advance this great institution.”

First elected to the board in 1990, Simon succeeds John C. Staley, a retired senior partner of Ernst & Young, who has served in that capacity since 2001.

“We are grateful for Jack’s leadership and dedicated service as board president during a time of significant growth in the university’s size and stature,” said Father Holtschneider. “We are pleased that he will continue to lend his experience and insights as a member of the board.”

Simon’s law practice includes criminal and civil litigation, governmental and regulatory law, public finance and corporate transactions. Simon also has served as an assistant U. S. attorney for seven years and chief of its civil division for four years.

Simon is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and earned his law degree at DePaul in 1967. As a member of the DePaul Law Review, he received two Bancroft-Whitney American Jurisprudence awards.

His civic, bar association and charitable activities have included service as president of the Chicago Bar Association, Commissioner of the Illinois Racing Board, president of The Lawyer’s Trust Fund of Illinois, chancellor of the Lincoln Academy of Illinois and director of the Chicago World’s Fair 1992 Authority. Simon has acted as special counsel to numerous governmental agencies and commissions, including the Illinois Governor’s Revenue Study Commission on Legalized Gambling and the U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration.

In addition, he has contributed articles to professional journals, lectured on various legal subjects throughout the United States and served on the adjunct faculty of DePaul’s College of Law. In recognition of his civic and charitable efforts, Simon has received the Judge Learned Hand Human Relations Award, the American ORT Jurisprudence Award and the DePaul University College of Law Award for Outstanding Service to the Legal Profession.

A longtime servant of the university, Simon is a past president of the DePaul Alumni Association.

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