Jody Allen

Jo Lynn "Jody" Allen (born February 3, 1959) is an American businesswoman, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. She is the sister of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, and served as the chief executive officer of his investment and project management company, Vulcan Inc., from its founding in 1986 until 2015. She is also the co-founder and president of the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. Following the death of her brother in October 2018, Allen was named executor and trustee of his estate, pursuant to his instructions, giving her responsibility for overseeing the execution of his will and settling his affairs with tax authorities and parties with an interest in his projects. Among some of the properties she took control of upon his death were the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL), the Octopus super-yacht, and the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), along with minority ownership of the Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer (MLS). Early life and education Allen was born in Seattle, Washington on February 3, 1959, the daughter of schoolteacher Edna Faye (Gardner) Allen and Kenneth Sam Allen, an associate director of the University of Washington Libraries. Her older brother Paul went on to become co-founder of Microsoft Corporation. She grew up in Seattle's Wedgwood neighborhood and graduated from Lakeside School in 1975. She studied drama at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, and was a member of the class of 1980. Career In 1986, Allen co-founded Vulcan Inc. with her brother to manage their family's business and charitable endeavors. Vulcan's former chief financial officer described her as being "responsible for having the trains run on time" and said she had "a particular passion for real estate development, building things in general."