Simmons is a coach and consultant committed to helping others explore the horizon and make their mark on the world.

I believe that through self-reflection, innovation, and courageous leadership, individuals and communities have the power to transform themselves, their systems, and the world. 

Prior to coaching and consulting, I co-founded and served as the Chief Executive Officer of Education Board Partners (EBP), a nonprofit dedicated to improving charter school board governance to sustain effective, equitable schools. In less than five years, EBP grew from an idea to an award-winning national organization that offers governance coaching, consulting, a resource library, and an online platform to support learning on boards across the country. As CEO, I led the development of the EBP model; spearheaded EBP’s program in Washington, DC; advised on the organization’s national expansion; coached board members and executive directors; and managed the development of EBP governance tools and training.

Before EBP, my work spanned many areas of the education sector. I led communications for Education Resource Strategies, evaluated program implementation at EL Education, and shaped policy and professional development for the Boston Plan for Excellence and New American Schools. But my favorite position, hands down, was teaching first grade at Benjamin Banneker Public Charter School in Cambridge, MA.

I hold a Masters in School Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Davidson College. I am an International Coaching Federation certified coach, and completed my coaching training at the Teleos Leadership Institute. I am the board chair at Ensemble Learning, served as the founding board chair at Education Forward DC and a former board chair at Capital City Public Charter School in Washington, DC.  I am a mentor for the Tiger Woods Foundation and a Pahara-Aspen Education Fellow at the Pahara Institute.