All About Nicole Shanahan, RFK Jr.'s VP Pick and Sergey Brin's Ex-Wife

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo:Gonzalo Marroquin/Getty

Gonzalo Marroquin/Getty

Here’s what to know about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.‘svice president pick, Nicole Shanahan.

On March 26, Kennedy Jr. introduced his new running mate in the presidential election in Shanahan’s hometown of Oakland, saying he set out looking for someone who was “battle tested” to join his ticket.

“I wanted a partner who … possesses the gift of curiosity; an open, inquiring mind; and the confidence to change even her strongest opinions in the face of conflicting evidence,” he said, noting how he “found all of those qualities” in Shanahan.

Before making headlines in the political sphere, Shanahan was well-known in the tech industry for her work and former relationship with Google co-founder Sergey Brin.

Learn more about Shanahan ahead with these facts.

She’s an attorney

Shanahan is a California-based attorney. Perher LinkedIn profile, she specializes in criminal justice reform as well as “improving marriage contracts such that they promote healthy domestic partnerships.”

She started her own foundation

According toher bio on Stanford Law, Shanahan is the founder and president of Bia-Echo Foundation, which is described as “a private foundation that aims to invest in changemakers at the forefront of innovation who are tackling some of the world’s greatest challenges: reproductive longevity & equality, criminal justice reform and a healthy & livable planet.”

She is also the founder and CEO of ClearAccessIP, “an automated patent management and valuation platform,” per herLinkedIn profile.

She studied at the University of Puget Sound

Shanahan got her B.A. at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, studying Asian Studies, Economics and Mandarin Chinese. She later got her J.D. at Santa Clara University School of Law, as detailed on herLinkedIn profile.

She’s a CodeX fellow

On top of her impressive foundation work and college background, Shanahan is also an academic fellow of CodeX, a center that combines Stanford’s legal and computer science schools to work on big issues at the intersection of law and technology.

She’s a mom

Taylor Hill/Getty

She found love again after divorcing Sergey Brin

Speaking with PEOPLE in 2023, Shanahan revealed that after her divorce from Brin,she met and fell for a man named Jacob Strumwasser, who is the vice president atLightning Labsand a “reformed Wall Street guy,” as she describes him.

Instead of getting married traditionally, they celebrated their commitment in a love ceremony at a special beach in May 2023. “It’s lovely to be seen for who I am,” she told PEOPLE, “and not how search results show me.”

She worked with RFK Jr. on his 2024 Super Bowl ad

In February 2024, Shanahan helped fund RFK Jr.’s presidential ad during the 2024 Super Bowl. According toThe New York Times, she gave his team $4 million for the ad and “helped coordinate the ad’s production.”

“It seems like a great opportunity to highlight that he’s running for president,” Shanahan told the publication, adding that her motivation in backing RFK Jr. included her concerns about the environment, vaccines and children’s health.

source: people.com