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Matt Simms Named Assistant Athletic Director
NEWPORT NEWS, VA. – Apprentice School Athletic Director Keisha Pexton announced today that Matt Simms has joined the department in the position of Assistant Athletic Director. He joins the department after a two-year stint as Life Skills Coordinator in the school's Student Services department.
"Matt is going to be a great addition to our athletic staff," said Pexton. "As an interim assistant athletic director, he showed initiative in assisting to manage the day to day operations of our athletics program and I'm confident that his background and athletic management experience will be a valuable asset to our department."
Simms is a native of Smithfield, VA and a 2008 graduate of Old Dominion University, where he obtained a bachelor's in Organizational Psychology, and a minor in Communications. While at ODU, Simms participated in baseball during the Fall season of 2003. Shortly after, he hung up his cleats to focus on academics. He continued his passion and interest for baseball by serving as Assistant Baseball Coach at James River Christian and Smithfield High School during his time in college.
Simms began his time with the Apprentice School as an intern for the school's academic sector in 2005. Immediately following, he gained athletic management experience while serving as Assistant to the Commissioner of the USCAA, the association that the Apprentice competes nationally in baseball, golf, and basketball. He was named Life Skills Coordinator for Student Services following graduation from ODU in April of 2008.
In his five years serving with the USCAA, Simms worked to grow the membership from 42 member institutions (2005) to over 70 in 2010. He was promoted to Associate Director in 2009. Today, he continues to serve in a volunteer role, working with the USCAA national office staff to manage the day to day operations.
"I am both proud and excited to begin my tenure as part of the Apprentice Athletics staff," said Simms. "Though I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Student Services, my passion for athletics management and providing quality experiences for student athletes makes this the ideal move for my career goals."
"As the son of an Apprentice graduate, I have seen our program progress by leaps and bounds over the years. As Assistant Athletic Director, I hope to play an important role in its continued development, to serve the mission of the school and Northrop Grumman, and to be a role model for our student athletes," he added.
Simms is currently applying to post-graduate school to obtain his MBA.
